CHURCH COMMISSIONERS

Commissioners Chief Accounting Officer

Christopher Huhne: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, (Sir Stuart Bell) representing the Church Commissioners what the  (a) name,  (b) professional and academic qualifications and  (c) relevant experience are of the Commissioners' chief accounting officer.

Stuart Bell: The Secretary, appointed by the Church Commissioners, is the principal officer responsible to the Commissioners for the conduct of all business in their name and on their behalf. The current Secretary is Andrew Brown BSc (Hons) FRICS. He qualified as a chartered surveyor in 1982 and after 13 years in private practice, the last three as a partner, he joined the Church Commissioners as their first chief surveyor. He was appointed Secretary in 2003.

TRANSPORT

A3 Hindhead Improvement Scheme

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects a decision to be made on the A3 Hindhead improvement scheme; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: We are continuing to consider the inspector's report into this scheme alongside the advice from the south east region on the priority it attaches to the improvement of the A3 at Hindhead within the indicative funding allocation for major transport schemes in the south east. We hope to make an announcement on the way forward for this scheme before the summer recess.

Criminal Offences

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the criminal offences created in legislation sponsored by his Department since April 2005, broken down by Act.

Gillian Merron: The question is taken to refer to criminal offences created directly in primary (rather than subordinate) legislation sponsored by the Department for Transport that received Royal Assent in the period 1 May 2005 to 9 June 2006.
	No criminal offences have been created directly by such legislation during this period.

Departmental Pension Liability

Robert Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will estimate the pension liability of his Department over the next 30 years.

Gillian Merron: Pension liabilities are not estimated for individual Departments. They are estimated for individual pension schemes.
	HM Treasury have produced a technical note which shows the breakdown in liabilities per pension scheme. This note was placed in the Library of the House on 2 March 2006 following an oral statement in Parliament by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury.

Government Car Service

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many vehicles in the Government car service fleet were made by  (a) Peugeot and  (b) Citroen.

Stephen Ladyman: The Government car service operates eight cars made by Peugeot/Citroen.

Highways Agency

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many vehicles are operated by the Highways Agency, broken down by model.

Stephen Ladyman: Vehicles operated by Highways Agency employed staff as part of the traffic officer vehicle fleet are as follows:
	
		
			  Model  Number 
			 Land Rover Range Rover TD6 SE Auto 7 
			 Land Rover Discovery 2.7 TDV6 S Auto 32 
			 Mitsubishi Shogun 3.2 DiD Classic Auto 50 
			 Nissan Pathfinder 2.5 dci SE Auto 26 
			 Toyota Land Cruiser 3.0 D4d Lc3 Auto 36 
			 Total 151

Motor Traders

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will issue guidance to post offices to ensure that they permit motor traders to present the different names on insurance documents and registration certificates when applying for a tax disc.

Stephen Ladyman: There is no intention to accept motor trade policies as evidence of insurance for vehicles registered in different names, unless a satisfactory link between the policy and the keeper can be established.
	When a vehicle is licensed, the law requires evidence that there is insurance in force in relation to the keeper's use of the vehicle. Motor trade policies provide cover for vehicles in the policyholder's possession, allowing the trader to drive a vehicle in the course of business. This cover does not extend to the re-licensing of vehicles except when a vehicle is registered in the policyholder's name.

Road Safety

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to complete his review of speed limits on roads; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: The Department's revised guidance to local traffic authorities on setting local speed limits will be published in the coming weeks.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Badgers

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what steps he has taken to ensure that any badger cull in Shrewsbury and Atcham is not undermined by different procedures in Wales;
	(2)  whether he plans to start the cull of badgers on the same date in England as in Wales.

Ben Bradshaw: No decision has yet been made on whether to cull badgers. However, given the seriousness of the disease situation. We aim to proceed as quickly as possible while giving the issue the thorough consideration it requires. The decision is not a simple one and we are taking into account all the evidence.
	In considering this decision we will liaise closely with the Welsh Assembly Government.

Coastal Access

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in which locations there is no access to the UK coastline; and for what reason in each case.

Barry Gardiner: We do not hold information on the exact number of locations where the UK coastline is inaccessible, or the reasons for this. It would be at disproportionate cost to gather this information.

Commons Bill

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the judgment by the House of Lords in the Trap Grounds case; and what assessment he has made of its implications for the current drafting of the Commons Bill.

Barry Gardiner: The Trap Grounds judgment has clarified rights and protections over greens, and reversed the earlier ruling that action taken on land after a registration application can affect the determination of the application.
	The judgment has no significant implications for the current drafting of the Commons Bill, but we intend to clarify the term "local inhabitants" in clause 15 in the light of relevant remarks on the judgment.

Correspondence

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he will reply to the letter of 6 February 2006 from the hon. Member for Aylesbury on behalf of Weston Turville parish council, which was referred to his Department by the Home Office on 15 March 2006.

Barry Gardiner: I apologise for the delay in replying to the hon. Member's letter. A response was issued on 9 June 2006.

Deceased Horses

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will make a statement on proposals to recover microchips from deceased horses.

Barry Gardiner: We have recently consulted on proposals to recover microchips from dead horses in line with Council Directives 90/426/EEC and 90/427/EEC. The consultation closed on 2 June and a response will be issued shortly.

Departmental Expenditure

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will list the 10 non-public sector entities that have received the largest total sum of payments from his Department in each of the last five years.

Barry Gardiner: The information requested is in the following tables.
	
		
			  FY 2001-02 
			  Vendor name  Total (£) 
			 Snowie 52,104,548.54 
			 ADAS Consulting Ltd. 43,116,767.38 
			 J D M Midlands Ltd. 32,422,787.45 
			 Carillion Building 22,888,509.96 
			 Cumbria Waste Management Ltd. 19,279,807.43 
			 Greyhound Plant Services 18,547,297.02 
			 Atos Origin IT Services UK Ltd. 17,713,023.32 
			 Citex Property & Facilities 16,612,220.86 
			 Sungard Sherwood Systems Ltd. 15,908,892.90 
			 Barr Ltd. 15,037,846.27 
		
	
	
		
			  FY 2002-03 
			  Vendor name  Total (£) 
			 T X U Warm Front Ltd. 51,076,421.84 
			 Fujitsu Services Ltd. 25,701,067.05 
			 ADAS Consulting Ltd. 20,509,113.40 
			 Sema UK Ltd. 19,866,954.53 
			 Sherwood International Group Ltd. 16,244,929.20 
			 Ineos Fluor Ltd. 8,599,347.99 
			 Prudential Prop Investment Managers Ltd. 8,072,617.52 
			 Citex Professional Services Ltd. 7,640,578.10 
			 L G C Limited 6,524,579.54 
			 Walter Lilly & Co Ltd. 6,475,931.82 
		
	
	
		
			  FY 2003-04 
			  Vendor name  Total (£) 
			 T X U Warm Front Ltd. 42,339,918.28 
			 Atos Origin IT Services UK Ltd. 25,427,385.15 
			 Fujitsu Services Ltd. 22,523,122.39 
			 Shepherd Construction Ltd. 22,032,872.75 
			 Sungard Sherwood Systems Ltd. 20,606,648.32 
			 ADAS Consulting Ltd. 17,947,361.18 
			 L G C Limited 11,869,607.39 
			 Ineos Fluor Ltd. 8,599,347.99 
			 Prudential Prop Investment Managers Ltd 8,322,218.23 
			 P A Consulting Group 6,899,587.19 
		
	
	
		
			  FY 2004-05 
			  Vendor name  Total (£) 
			 Powergen Warm Front Ltd. 45,608,787.33 
			 Atos Origin IT Services UK Ltd. 38,972,053.09 
			 IBM United Kingdom Ltd. 27,553,043.55 
			 ADAS Consulting Ltd. 16,203,252.37 
			 Fujitsu Services Ltd. 14,291,390.70 
			 Sungard Sherwood Systems Ltd. 13,401,396.55 
			 Shepherd Construction Ltd. 11,764,738.01 
			 Overbury Plc. 11,559,685.86 
			 Citex 11,433,165.67 
			 Prudential Prop. Investment Managers Ltd. 10,065,515.29 
		
	
	
		
			  FY 2005-06 
			  Vendor name  Total (£) 
			 IBM United Kingdom Ltd. 76,494,621.18 
			 Carillion Services Ltd. 12,520,824.53 
			 ADAS Consulting Ltd. 10,891,788.70 
			 Walter Lilly & Co Ltd. 9,968,584.41 
			 Shepherd Construction Ltd. 8,988,503.71 
			 Prudential Prop Investment Managers Ltd. 8,435,480.73 
			 Overbury Plc. 6,506,083.88 
			 Atos Origin IT Services UK Ltd. 5,949,934.53 
			 Barclaycard Business Issuing 5,751,629.76 
			 Lombard North Central Plc. 5,099,360.68

Fisheries

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what consideration he has given to the request from English Nature for him to close an area of 60 square miles off Lyme Regis to fishing; what consultations he has held with scallop fishermen on this request; if he will take into account the social and economic implications in his deliberations; when he expects to make a decision; and if he will commission research to determine density and location of scallop beds in relation to those of protected seabed fauna.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 13 June 2006
	I regard the request from English Nature very seriously. I also recognise that Lyme Bay represents an extremely important fishery for the south west and the socio-economic impact of any action needs to be taken into account in reaching a decision. My officials have attended meetings with English Nature and Southern and Devon Sea fisheries Committees and, more recently, with the newly formed South West Scallopers Association. This dialogue is continuing.
	I hope we can urgently broker a local solution to this issue which will be acceptable both for the marine environment and the livelihoods of fishermen. If this is not possible, or if individual scallopers choose not to respect any negotiated agreement, I will not hesitate to accede to English Nature's request.

Fungaflor

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations he has received on the  (a) licensing and  (b) availability of (i) the product fungaflor and (ii) a substitute for it in the last 12 months.

Ian Pearson: My Department has received representations from the Horticultural Development Council, the Cucumber Growers Association and a cucumber grower about both fungaflor and a possible substitute product.

GM Crops

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the policy of the European Commission is on co-existence of GM and non-GM crops.

Ian Pearson: The Commission's general policy is that coexistence measures should be proportionate and science-based, and that they are best determined and implemented at member state level. This is confirmed in the recommended guidelines that the Commission has issued to help member states develop their national coexistence strategies. These are available at http://ec.europa.eu/comm/agriculture/publi/reports/coexistence2/guide_en.pdf. More up to date background on the Commission's thinking in this area is contained in the report that it issued earlier this year on the implementation of national coexistence measures. This can be found at http://ec.europa.eu/comm/agriculture /coexistence/com104_en.pdf.

Ivory

Colin Challen: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many Article 10 certificates for ivory have been granted under Council Regulation (EC) No 338/97 since 2004; and what the nature was of the items under each certificate.

Barry Gardiner: Since 2004, 174 Article 10 certificates for ivory have been granted under Council Regulation (EC) No 338/97. The certificates cover a range of products including jewellery, walking sticks, chess sets and carved figures. Items under each certificate are detailed in the following table.
	
		
			  Item  Number 
			  Five items of carved ivory jewellery:  
			 Ivory solid bangle 1 
			 Ivory-beaded necklace 1 
			 One ivory heart-shaped pendant 1 
			 Two ivory drop earrings 2 
			   
			 Ivory tusk carved into a group of elephants. 1 
			 Chess set with sixteen carved ivory pieces. 1 
			 Carved ivory figure of a Japanese woman carrying a fan. 1 
			 Ivory carving of a group of three rhinos. 1 
			 Ivory carving of hippo. 1 
			 Carved ivory head of a woman. 1 
			 Ivory carving of a man carrying a pack. 1 
			 Carved ivory pots with lids. 2 
			 Decorated ivory vase. 1 
			 Ivory carving of a man sitting on a decorative sphere. 1 
			 Ivory carving of an African woman carrying a pot on her head. 1 
			 Ivory carving of a crocodile. 1 
			 Brooch with a carved ivory rose bud feature?circa 1950. 1 
			 Gold mounted cello bow with an ivory face plate. 1 
			 Pair of ivory salad servers (two in total) acquired approx. 1958 1 
			 Thorn walking stick with horn knob handle and ivory spacer. 1 
			 Ox horn walking stick with silver cap handle and ivory spacer. 1 
			 Walking stick with ebony dog handle with ivory eyes and ivory spacer. 1 
			 Walking stick with carved walnut lion head handle on Malacca with ivory spacer. 1 
			 Walking stick with ebony crook with ivory insets and ivory spacer. 1 
			 Walking stick with walnut pear cap and ivory spacer. 1 
			 Walking stick with snake wood crook and large ivory spacer. 1 
			 Walking stick with ebony crutch and ivory spacer. 1 
			 Walking stick with rosewood crutch and ivory spacer. 1 
			 Walking stick with rosewood crosshead and ivory spacer. 1 
			 Walking stick with carved ebony dog handle and ivory spacer. 1 
			 Walking stick with snake wood crutch and ivory spacer. 1 
			 Certificates, each for one walking stick with violet wood trumpet top and ivory spacer. 2 
			 Walking stick with walnut pistol butt on rosewood and ivory spacer. 1 
			 Walking stick with ebony crutch and ivory spacer. 1 
			 Walking stick with rosewood greyhound and ivory spacer. 1 
			 Walking stick with ox horn knob and ebony and ivory spacer. 1 
			 Walking stick with buffalo horn, ducks head and ivory washer and spacer. 1 
			 Certificates, each for one walking stick with walnut boars head, ivory washer and tusks with ivory spacer. 2 
			 Walking stick with carved sheep head on hazel, ivory washer with ivory spacer. 1 
			 Walking stick with carved staghorn, ivory washer with ivory spacer. 1 
			 Walking stick with buffalo shepherds crook, ivory washer with ivory spacer. 1 
			 Walking stick with carved wood boar, ivory tusks with ivory spacer 1 
			 Walking stick with carved ivory dog head on ebony with gilt collar. 1 
			 Walking stick with carved ivory skull on ebony. 1 
			 Walking stick with carved ivory elephant on ebony. 1 
			 Walking stick with carved ivory deer on Palmyra, gilt collar. 1 
			 Walking stick with carved ivory bulldog head on snakewood, silver collar. 1 
			 Walking stick with ivory and hardwood spacer stick. 1 
			 Walking stick with rosewood, walrus ivory handle with elephant ivory spacer. 1 
			 Walking stick with ebony, walrus ivory handle with elephant ivory spacer. 1 
			 Walking stick with lancewood, walrus ivory handle with elephant ivory spacer. 1 
			 Walking stick with ebony, with elephant ivory handle and spacer. 1 
			 Certificates, each for one walking stick with rosewood, walrus ivory handle with elephant ivory spacer. 2 
			 Walking stick ebony, elephant ivory handle and walrus ivory spacer. 1 
			 Walking stick with ebony, ivory handle and spacer. 1 
			 Silver mounted viola bow by J. Finkel with ivory head plate circa 1960 1 
			 Silver mounted viola bow by R. Grunke with ivory head plate circa 1950. 1 
			 Ivory carving representing four standing revolutionary figures .circa 1966-70. 1 
			 Carved wood boars head with ivory tusks, on rosewood stick. 1 
			 Horn thimble cap on ebony stick with ivory spacer. 1 
			 Certificates, each for one carved horn hoof on hazel stick with ivory spacer. 2 
			 Carved wood boars head with ivory tusks on hazel stick, with ivory spacer. 1 
			 Carved wood ox head with ivory horns on hazel stick, with ivory spacer. 1 
			 Carved horn toad on log, on a blackthorn stick, with ivory spacer. 1 
			 Carved wood hares head, on a Palmyra stick, with ivory spacer. 1 
			 Gents maple crook stick, inlay ivory pattern on nose. 1 
			 Ladies maple crook stick, inlay ivory pattern on nose. 1 
			 Gents acacia crook stick, ivory slipper cap on nose. 1 
			 Ladies acacia crook stick, ivory slipper cap on nose. 1 
			 Gents rosewood crutch handle on maple stick with ivory spacer. 1 
			 Gents olive wood crutch handle on maple stick with ivory spacer. 1 
			 Certificates, each for one carved wood duck head umbrella with ivory spacer 2 
			 Certificates, each for one carved ivory whistle 3 
			 Carved ivory figures representing men holding ritual objects. 8 
			 Ivory and silver paper knife. 1 
			 Ivory tusk carved with the figure of a woman with a headdress. 1 
			 Silver and ivory mounted violin bow by Louis Gillet. 1 
			 Gold and ivory mounted violin bow by Marcel Lapierre. 1 
			 Gold and ivory mounted violin bow by Johanned Finkel. 1 
			 Silver and ivory mounted violin bow by Percival Wilfred Bryant 1 
			 Silver and ivory mounted violin bow by H.R Pfreteschner 1 
			 Silver coloured metal and ivory ewer. 1 
			 Silver coloured metal and ivory peppermill. 1 
			 Gold and ivory mounted viola bow, by Malcolm Taylor. Circa 1975. 1 
			 Certificates, each for one ivory bracelet polished and worked into torus shape with roughly square profile. 12 
			 Certificates, each for one ivory bracelet polished and worked into torus shape with d profile. 2 
			 Ivory bracelet polished and worked into torus shape with triangular profile. 1 
			 Certificates, each for one ivory bracelet polished and worked into torus shape with flattened u profile. 2 
			 Silver mounted violin bow with an ivory head plate, W.E. Hill and Sons, circa 1948. 1 
			 Silver and ivory mounted violin bow. Circa 1950. 1 
			 Carved ivory magic ball and one carved ivory base of three horses. 1 
			 Carved hollow tusk depicting three giraffes. 1 
			 Silver mounted violin bow by Jacques Audinot. Circa 1960. 1 
			 Gold mounted violin, the bow has an ivory head plate. 1 
			 Ivory carving of a male head, with cracks in base and on side of head. 1 
			 Carved ivory horse, circa 1957.one carved Hindu goddess, circa 1957. 1 
			 Carved ivory horses, purchased in United Arab Emirates circa 1971. 7 
			 Certificates, each for one ivory tusk carved with people. 2 
			 Ivory tusk carved with elephants. 1 
			 Walking stick with carved buffalo horn and elephants head mounted on ebony. 1 
			 Elephant tusk with carved animals. 1 
			 Ivory thermometer acquired circa, 1947 1 
			 A metal tea set comprising teapot, sugar bowl and milk jug. Teapot contains ivory, circa 1957 — 
			 Silver jug with rosewood and ivory handle, circa 1957 1 
			 A metal tea set comprising coffee pot and cover, sugar bowl and milk jug. Coffee pot contains ivory. — 
			 Necklace containing ivory, moonstone and pewter, circa 1972-1973 1 
			 Ivory and silver necklace by Caroline Broadhead with matching earrings, circa 1973 1 
			 Gold and ivory mounted violin bow by Garner Wilson, circa 1970. 1 
			 Nickel mounted child's violin bow with ivory head plate by Morizot Freres. Circa 1950. 1 
			 Silver mounted cello bow with ivory head plate by Albert Nurnberger 1 
			 Silver mounted cello bow with ivory head plate by Roger Francois Lotte. Circa 1950. 1 
			 Ivory walking stick acquired pre-1972 1 
			 Certificates, each for one carved ivory knife acquired pre-1972 2 
			 Certificates, each for one carved ivory crocodile acquired pre-1972 5 
			 Carved ivory figure of a woman acquired pre-1972 1 
			 Carved ivory tusk with a number of figures acquired pre-1972 1 
			 Carved ivory head acquired pre-1972 1 
			 Carved ivory ornament acquired pre-1972 1 
			 Certificates, each for one small elephant tusk with small leaves carved at the lip end. 2 
			 A thirty two piece ivory chess set, circa 1960. — 
			 Ivory pieces. — 
			 Certificates, each for one ivory tusk. 2 
			 Certificates, each for one juvenile elephant tusk. 2 
			 Certificates, each for one elephant tusk 17 
			 Worked ivory tusk depicting five elephants moving through bush. 1 
			 Certificates, each for one silver mounted ivory tusk. 2 
			 Certificates, each for two uncarved ivory tusks mounted on a wooden plinth with a gong. 2 
			 Portions of elephant tusks in stands. 2 
			 Carved elephant tusk. 1 
			 Unworked elephant tusk with branded markings. 1

Ministerial Visits (Accommodation)

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the total cost was of overnight accommodation for  (a) civil servants and  (b) special advisers in his Department staying overnight in (i) mainland Great Britain, (ii) Northern Ireland, (iii) the Republic of Ireland and (iv) other countries in each of the last three years.

Barry Gardiner: The information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The Department records expenditure as either for the UK or other countries. The core Department and most of its agencies differentiate between overnight accommodation costs and other travel expenses.
	
		
			  £000 
			  (a) Civil Servants  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 UK 345 326 513 
			 Abroad 474 570 603 
			  (b) Special Advisers
			 UK 1,220 2,044 2,487 
			 Abroad 698 702 910 
			  Note:  These figures exclude the Rural Payments Agency and the Central Science Laboratory.

Payment Schemes

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many claims for the Single Payment Scheme were submitted by 31 May; and what proportion this represents of claims for entitlements made in 2005.

Barry Gardiner: holding answer 12 June 2006
	The information is as follows:
	103,005 applications were received by 31 May.
	120,367 applications were received for 2005 (this is up to the final deadline on 10 June 2005).

Payment Schemes

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what budget sum he has allocated for payments under  (a) Entry Level Stewardship,  (b) Higher Level Stewardship,  (c) Hill Farm Allowance and  (d) all other environmental and rural development policies for 2006-07.

Barry Gardiner: holding answer 12 June 2006
	The current planned budget sum to cover payments for these schemes, which form part of the England Rural Development Programme (including domestic and European funds) during 2006-07, is:
	
		
			   £ million 
			 Entry Level Stewardship (includes Organic Entry Level Stewardship) 66 
			 Higher Level Stewardship 3 
			 Other environmental and rural development policies which come under the umbrella of the England Rural Development Programme (1)342.7 
			 (1) Includes Countryside Stewardship Scheme, Environmentally Sensitive Areas Scheme, Energy Crops Scheme, Organic Farming Scheme, Woodland Grant Scheme, Farm Woodland and Farm Woodland Premium Scheme Rural Enterprise Scheme, Vocational Training Scheme and Processing and Marketing Grant. 
		
	
	Due to the nature of Entry and Higher Level Stewardship, payments commence some time after agreements are entered into. Consequently, the value of payments shown above for 2006-07 reflects scheme uptake activity from the previous financial year (2005-06).
	Arrangements for the Hill Farm Allowance for this financial year are currently being considered, in light of the recently closed public consultation on support for upland areas.
	The transition between the current and new England Rural Development Programme takes place on 1 January 2007. Funding arrangements from 2007 onwards are currently being discussed within government. The above figures should be seen as indicative only until these discussions have concluded.

Payment Schemes

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many claimants have received interim payments of less than 80 per cent. under the Single Farm Payment arrangements since April 2005.

Barry Gardiner: All partial payments under the Single Payment scheme have been calculated at a rate of 80 per cent. However, the calculation took account of data held in RPA's validation system at a specific point in time, which in some cases meant payment was reduced to reflect late claim penalties.

Payment Schemes

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 22 May 2006,  Official Report, column 1311W, to the hon. Member for North-East Milton Keynes (Mr. Lancaster), on single farm payments,  (a) on what basis and  (b) in what form data on regional farm payments is held.

Barry Gardiner: Details of payments made in England up to 30 June 2006, including by constituency and county, will be published in due course.

Poultry Culling

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the agreed levels of poultry culling capability are; when these levels were agreed; what methods of poultry culling have been agreed; and what the poultry culling capacity was in each month since January 2001.

Ben Bradshaw: There are no formally agreed levels of poultry culling capability. However, there are a range of culling methods available to the state veterinary service. These include maceration (for day old chicks only), lethal injection, neck dislocation, percussion killers, gassing in containers, whole-house gassing and, as a last resort when no other method is practicable, ventilation shutdown.
	Killing capacity has been progressively increased over the last two years through the establishment of contingency contracts with catchers and equipment suppliers. Capacity has been further increased since January 2006 through the development of a system based on the gassing of poultry in containers using a mixture of argon and carbon dioxide; the Department has commissioned 50 of these units, each capable of killing 2,000 chickens per hour. In addition, we have purchased a number of percussion killers for use on larger birds and plan to further increase our capability to gas poultry in their sheds.
	However, it is not possible to state the total killing capacity per month because this figure depends on a variety of factors. These include the age and species of poultry, the housing system, the size, location, quantity and geographic spread of the affected holdings, and the availability of catchers, gas and resources.

Rural Payments Agency

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions he has had with  (a) the Rural Payments Agency,  (b) farmers' unions and  (c) the European Commission on the use of partial payments to farmers in England for the Single Payment Scheme for 2006.

Barry Gardiner: Arrangements for the 2006 Single Payment Scheme, including the possible use of partial payments, are discussed regularly at the fortnightly meetings that my noble Friend Lord Rooker, and the Interim Chief Executive of the Rural Payments Agency have with industry leaders. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has also had a useful discussion on the issue with the Agriculture and Rural Development Commissioner, Mariann Fischer Boel.

Rural Payments Agency

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many  (a) permanent staff and  (b) temporary staff were employed by the Rural Payments Agency in each month since October 2001 expressed in terms of (i) actual staff numbers and (ii) full-time equivalent staff; and if he will make a statement.

Barry Gardiner: The following tables show the staff numbers, broken down as requested.
	
		
			  Staff Employed by RPA in each month since October 2001 
			  2001-02 
			   October  November  December  January  February  March 
			 Permanent 2,940 2,950 2,915 2,904 2,934 2,954 
			 FTA (Fixed Term Appointments) 70 77 93 110 126 149 
			 Casuals 231 252 278 290 270 248 
			 Total (Actual Staff numbers) 3,241 3,279 3,286 3,304 3,330 3,351 
			
			 Permanent 2,845.28 2,839.25 2,801.31 2,788.97 2,816.02 2,834.72 
			 FTA (Fixed Term Appointments) 70.27 76.81 92.55 108.91 124.91 146.88 
			 Casuals 230.81 249.73 275.27 287.00 268.00 246.05 
			 Total (Full-time equivalent) 3,146.36 3,165.79 3,169.13 3,184.88 3,208.93 3,227.66 
			  Note: During this period the Intervention Board (IBEA) amalgamated with the Rural Development Service (RDS) 
		
	
	
		
			  2002-03 
			   April  May  June  July  August  September 
			 Permanent 2,935 2,902 2,868 2,830 2,828 2,811 
			 FTA (Fixed Term Appointments) 187 208 213 212 213 211 
			 Casuals 265 255 278 358 364 399 
			 Total (Actual Staff numbers) 3,387 3,365 3,359 3,400 3,405 3,421 
			
			 Permanent 2,816.39 2,782.36 2,759.32 2,719.02 2,715.03 2,699.59 
			 FTA (Fixed Term Appointments) 184.30 204.78 210.54 209.54 209.78 209.78 
			 Casuals 263.22 252.82 276.20 355.42 361.23 397.09 
			 Total (Full-time equivalent) 3,263.91 3,239.97 3,246.06 3,283.98 3,286.05 3,306.46 
		
	
	
		
			   October  November  December  January  February  March 
			 Permanent 2,796 2,782 2,761 2,757 2,752 2,741 
			 FTA (Fixed Term Appointments) 250 282 311 311 348 379 
			 Casuals 334 393 373 363 359 339 
			 Total (Actual Staff numbers) 3,380 3,457 3,445 3,431 3,459 3,459 
			
			 Permanent 2,683.14 2,675.05 2,649.30 2,645.26 2,638.22 2,627.69 
			 FTA (Fixed Term Appointments) 247.05 278.67 307.48 307.48 344.48 375.29 
			 Casuals 331.59 390.49 370.55 359.55 354.90 335.99 
			 Total (Full-time equivalent) 3,261.79 3,344.21 3,327.33 3,312.29 3,337.60 3,338.97 
		
	
	
		
			  2003-04 
			   April  May  June  July  August  September 
			 Permanent 2,717 2,680 2,677 2,637 2,611 3,076 
			 FTA (Fixed Term Appointments) 379 382 387 454 467 495 
			 Casuals 303 280 291 314 310 318 
			 Total (Actual Staff numbers) 3,399 3,342 3,355 3,405 3,388 3,889 
			
			 Permanent 2,605.16 2,567.80 2,565.33 2,524.84 2,499.17 2,948.51 
			 FTA (Fixed Term Appointments) 374.90 377.90 382.44 449.25 462.17 489.96 
			 Casuals 300.25 277.60 286.70 310.89 307.08 315.21 
			 Total (Full-time equivalent) 3,280.31 3,223.30 3,234.47 3,284.98 3,268.42 3,753.68 
		
	
	
		
			   October  November  December  January  February  March 
			 Permanent 3,058 3,025 3,003 2,982 2,972 2,962 
			 FTA (Fixed Term Appointments) 499 490 492 488 516 507 
			 Casuals 274 276 304 315 312 321 
			 Total (Actual Staff numbers) 3,831 3,791 3,799 3,785 3,800 3,790 
			
			 Permanent 2,925.31 2,890.04 2,868.36 2,847.48 2,835.56 2,819.40 
			 FTA (Fixed Term Appointments) 494.42 485.78 488.17 483.85 511.70 502.12 
			 Casuals 271.60 274.06 300.20 311.20 307.25 316.28 
			 Total (Full-time equivalent) 3,691.33 3,649.88 3,656.73 3,642.53 3,654.51 3,637.80 
			  Note: The large rise in staff numbers between August and September is due to the amalgamation of BCMS into RPA 
		
	
	
		
			  2004-05 
			   April  May  June  July  August  September 
			 Permanent 2,944 2,916 2,900 2,894 2,889 2,874 
			 FTA (Fixed Term Appointments) 501 467 464 479 482 465 
			 Casuals 323 323 339 380 424 436 
			 Total (Actual Staff numbers) 3,768 3,706 3,703 3,753 3,795 3,775 
			
			 Permanent 2,802.82 2,776.96 2,764.02 2,758.97 2,753.95 2,738.76 
			 FTA (Fixed Term Appointments) 496.19 460.75 457.35 470.55 473.71 455.65 
			 Casuals 317.82 318.21 334.22 375.93 420.19 431.78 
			 Total (Full-time equivalent) 3,616.83 3,555.92 3,555.58 3,605.45 3,647.85 3,626.20 
		
	
	
		
			   October  November  December  January  February  March 
			 Permanent 2,838 2,824 2,791 2,751 2,718 2,695 
			 FTA (Fixed Term Appointments) 437 426 422 417 403 399 
			 Casuals 449 458 486 502 509 512 
			 Total (Actual Staff numbers) 3,724 3,708 3,699 3,670 3,630 3,606 
			
			 Permanent 2,700.93 2,685.32 2,651.86 2,611.94 2,581.54 2,560.12 
			 FTA (Fixed Term Appointments) 427.36 416.53 411.98 406.73 393.67 389.62 
			 Casuals 443.86 451.57 479.57 495.57 502.62 505.24 
			 Total (Full-time equivalent) 3,572.15 3,553.41 3,543.40 3,514.24 3,477.83 3,454.98 
		
	
	
		
			  2005-06 
			   April  May  June  July  August  September 
			 Permanent 2,654 2,579 2,527 2,524 2,325 2,290 
			 FTA (Fixed Term Appointments) 376 357 345 340 295 292 
			 Casuals 515 539 531 576 526 505 
			 Total (Actual Staff numbers) 3,545 3,475 3,403 3,440 3,146 3,087 
			
			 Permanent 2,521.10 2,449.90 2,399.95 2,396.33 2,209.98 2,174.03 
			 FTA (Fixed Term Appointments) 367.61 349.37 337.77 333.69 289.20 286.20 
			 Casuals 508.91 534.42 525.92 567.84 521.04 501.32 
			 Total (Full-time equivalent) 3,397.62 3,333.69 3,263.63 3,297.86 3,020.21 2,961.55 
		
	
	
		
			   October  November  December  January  February  March 
			 Permanent 2,278 2,262 2,250 2,230 2,235 2,312 
			 FTA (Fixed Term Appointments) 286 281 280 277 307 314 
			 Casuals 489 571 592 588 591 591 
			 Total (Actual Staff numbers) 3,053 3,114 3,122 3,095 3,133 3,217 
			
			 Permanent 2,160.84 2,142.79 2,129.95 2,110.66 2,112.26 2,187.72 
			 FTA (Fixed Term Appointments) 280.09 275.13 273.29 270.24 300.01 307.01 
			 Casuals 480.69 548.84 559.80 557.78 561.04 563.18 
			 Total (Full-time equivalent) 2,921.62 2,966.76 2,963.03 2,938.68 2,973.31 3,057.90 
		
	
	
		
			  2006-07 
			   April  May 
			 Permanent 2,301 2,348 
			 FTA (Fixed Term Appointments) 295 322 
			 Casuals 577 565 
			 Total (Actual Staff numbers) 3,173 3,235 
			
			 Permanent 2,174.85 2,219.31 
			 FTA (Fixed Term Appointments) 287.41 314.41 
			 Casuals 550.19 538.61 
			 Total (Full-time equivalent) 3,012.44 3,072.33 
			  Note: The rise in staff numbers between April and May is due to the amalgamation of Horticultural Marketing Inspectorate (HMI) and Defra's Investigation Branch (IB) into RPA

Single Farm Payments

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the impact of the delay in single farm payments upon feed merchants; and if he will make a statement.

Barry Gardiner: Feed merchants are, to varying effects, likely to be affected by the cash-flow issues faced by farming business waiting for receipt of payments under the 2005 Single Payment Scheme (SPS). Over £1.3 billion, representing 89 per cent. of the total value of such payments, has been disbursed and the Rural Payments Agency remains focused on paying the outstanding sums as soon as possible for the benefit of all concerned.

Single Farm Payments

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment the Rural Payments Agency made of the efficiency of the  (a) historic system and  (b) regional average area system of calculation for the Single Payment Scheme prior to the implementation of the Single Payment Scheme; and what such assessment the Agency has undertaken since undertaking the implementation of the Single Payment Scheme.

Barry Gardiner: The Rural Payments Agency contributed to the advice supplied to Ministers before the decision was taken to adopt the flat rate model of the Single Payment Scheme. That advice pointed to a greater degree of challenge in implementing a flat rate, as opposed to a historical, model of the SPS, but at no point was any suggestion made that the chosen model was undeliverable. Given that EU regulations required member states implementing the SPS in 2005 to notify the Commission of their chosen models by 1 August 2004, subsequent assessment of different models would not serve any practical purpose.

Single Farm Payments

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the average Single Farm Payment is for England; and if he will make a statement.

Barry Gardiner: As at 6 June 2006 the number of full and partial payments made under the Single Payment Scheme was 96,000, with a total value of £1.33 billion.
	The average payment based on the above values is £14,000.

Single Farm Payments

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many recipients of single farm payments have yet to receive any payment, broken down by county area.

Barry Gardiner: The total number of single payment scheme customers is approximately 120,000. As at 6 June 2006, 24,000 customers had not received either a full or partial payment.
	Details of payments made in England up to 30 June 2006, including by constituency and county, will be published in due course.

Single Farm Payments

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he expects all single farm payments will have been made in full.

Barry Gardiner: The payment window for the 2006 Single Payment Scheme opens on 1 December 2006 and runs until 30 June 2007.
	The Rural Payments Agency is working hard to ensure that payments are made as soon as possible within this time frame. Staff have already started basic validation checks on a proportion of the 2006 application forms.

Single Farm Payments

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will take steps to ensure that farmers who have now received their single farm payments will receive interest due on the delayed payments.

Barry Gardiner: The question of interest arises only in respect of payments made after the legal deadline of 30 June. We have not reached that point yet and I do not want to deflect the Rural Payments Agency in the interim period from concentrating on its main priority, which is to ensure that outstanding payments are made as soon as possible.

Single Farm Payments

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations he has received from the European Commission on the UK Government's implementation of the Single Farm Payment Scheme.

Barry Gardiner: The Department and the European Commission are in regular contact in order to help further our common interest in ensuring that the Single Payment Scheme is implemented as smoothly as possible.

Single Farm Payments

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the extent to which the dynamic hybrid system has contributed to the delays in the Single Payment Scheme.

Barry Gardiner: Experience among member states implementing the Single Payment Scheme in 2005 has indicated that there is a greater degree of challenge in implementing flat rate models. However, the precise timing of payments in each member state will have been dependent on a range of factors.

Single Farm Payments

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs by what processes and for what reasons the decision was reached to use a dynamic hybrid system of calculation for the single payment scheme.

Barry Gardiner: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Derby, South explained her reasons for adopting the flat rate model of the Single Payment Scheme when she announced that decision on 12 February 2004,  Official Report, column 1585. This followed analysis of advice and supporting data from officials, responses to a public consultation document and discussions with stakeholders.

Tendring Hundred Water Company

Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the extent to which Tendring Hundred Water Co. is conserving water during the present drought.

Ian Pearson: The Environment Agency's report, "Drought Prospects 2006—Spring Update", explains the likely consequences of a continuing rainfall deficit and recommends action by water companies. The report recommends that water companies in Norfolk and Suffolk should monitor their water resources carefully and be prepared to take further steps to manage supply and demand if the drought intensifies. This report is available from the Agency's website:
	www.environment-agency.gov.uk.
	Each water company has specific plans to manage short-term water shortages depending on the severity of a drought. These drought plans are a statutory requirement, and also subject to public consultation. A consultation on Tendring Hundred Water services draft drought plan is currently in progress. This can be viewed on the company's website at:
	http://www.thws.co.uk/

Water Shortages

Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans he has to meet water companies to discuss the issue of leaks; and what guidance his Department has issued to water companies on leakages.

Ian Pearson: The Secretary of State and I met with representatives of the water industry, including water companies, on 1 June. Leakage reduction was discussed and a commitment was reached to keep leakage targets—set by the Economic Regulator—under review, taking account of costs, technology and best practice. All parties are set to meet again before the end of the year.
	Ofwat is responsible for leakage target setting and enforcement. A Leakage Study commissioned jointly by Ofwat, the Environment Agency and Defra was published in March 2003, and all water companies were asked by Ofwat to update their appraisals of leakage in line with best practice identified in the study. Ofwat assesses the leakage appraisals to ensure that water companies meet the best practice principles identified in the report.
	The study is available at: http://www.ofwat.gov.uk/aptrix/ofwat/publish.nsf/Content/tripartitestudycon tents.

Water Supplies

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the leakage of water in each water supply company region in each financial year since 1997.

Ian Pearson: Water company leakage figures are published annually by the water services regulation authority (publicly known as Ofwat) in the 'Security of supply, leakage and the efficient use of water' reports. Total water company leakage for each year since 1996-97, in megalitres per day, was reported as follows:
	
		
			   1996-97  1997-98  1998-99  1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05 
			 Anglian 242 240 206 190 194 224 192 216 214 
			 Bournemouth and W Hants 29 26 26 23 23 22 22 22 22 
			 Bristol 65 59 56 54 55 55 53 53 53 
			 Cambridge 16 14 13 13 13 14 14 14 14 
			 Dee Valley 13 12 12 13 12 11 11 10 11 
			 Dwr Cymru 357 329 306 288 260 224 192 216 214 
			 Folkestone and Dover 12 9 9 8 9 8 8 8 8 
			 Mid Kent 38 36 30 29 29 29 28 30 29 
			 Northumbrian North 192 184 171 168 164 161 153 160 155 
			 Northumbrian South 85 82 76 73 72 73 67 70 67 
			 Portsmouth 31 32 31 30 30 30 30 30 30 
			 Severn Trent(1) 479 399 344 340 340 340 514 512 502 
			 South East 99 108 98 97 85 75 72 69 69 
			 South Staffordshire 90 82 77 76 72 71 71 71 74 
			 South West 129 101 92 84 84 83 84 84 83 
			 Southern 113 99 95 93 92 92 92 92 92 
			 Sutton and East Surrey 27 26 25 24 24 24 24 24 24 
			 Tendring 6 6 6 5 6 5 5 5 5 
			 Thames 108 906 770 662 688 865 943 946 915 
			 Three Valleys 199 172 157 145 140 157 152 152 149 
			 United Utilities 666 579 510 487 463 452 465 479 500 
			 Wessex 129 110 100 88 84 79 75 75 73 
			 Yorkshire 430 377 342 317 304 297 296 295 293 
			 (1) In spring 2003, Severn Trent Water revised its water balance data. The company attributed most of the increase in leakage to methodological changes.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Building Bulletin 100

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on progress with the Building Bulletin 100 review.

Jim Knight: Public consultation on Building Bulletin (BB) 100, "Designing and Managing Against the Risk of Fire in Schools", concluded in November last year. There were 66 responses to the 12 questions asked and many included additional comments, some extensive. An analysis of these responses has been completed and will shortly be published on the Department's website.
	This feedback has now been incorporated into a new draft of BB 100, which is being internally reviewed. We hope to publish the final, agreed version before the end of this year.

Class Sizes

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on class sizes in the London borough of Havering.

Jim Knight: Information on class sizes in Havering local authority area is given in the table. This shows that the average size of Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 classes has decreased since 2002. The average size of classes in secondary schools has remained the same.
	
		
			  Classes taught by one teacher in maintained primary schools (by Key Stage 1 and 2) and secondary schools( 1,2,3) —position in January each year: 2002 to 2006 (provisional)—Havering local authority area 
			   2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 (provisional) 
			  Key Stage 1 classes( 4)  
			 Average class size 26.6 26.7 26.6 26.1 26.2 
			 Number of classes 294 291 273 284 277 
			 Percentage of classes with:  
			 1-30 pupils 99.3 100.0 100.0 100.0 98.9 
			 31 or more pupils 0.7 0.0 0.0 0.0 1.1 
			 Number of pupils 7,823 7,762 7,268 7,416 7,249 
			 Percentage of pupils in classes with:  
			 1-30 pupils 99.2 100.0 100.0 100.0 98.7 
			 31 or more pupils(5) 0.8 0.0 0.0 0.0 1.3 
			   
			  Key Stage 2 classes  
			 Average class size 27.5 27.5 27.6 27.3 26.8 
			 Number of classes 402 392 368 384 390 
			 Percentage of classes with:  
			 1-30 pupils 71.9 77.6 80.2 81.8 87.2 
			 31 or more pupils 28.1 22.4 19.8 18.2 12.8 
			 Number of pupils 11,058 10,764 10,159 10,501 10,434 
			 Percentage of pupils in classes with:  
			 1-30 pupils 67.2 73.7 77.3 78.4 84.7 
			 31 or more pupils 32.8 26.3 22.7 21.6 15.3 
			   
			  Classes in primary schools  
			 Average class size 27.1 27.1 27.1 26.7 26.5 
			 Number of classes 719 706 686 692 686 
			 Percentage of classes with:  
			 1-30 pupils 83.2 87.0 88.0 89.2 91.7 
			 31 or more pupils 16.8 13.0 12.0 10.8 8.3 
			 Number of pupils 19,506 19,137 18,613 18,509 18,181 
			 Percentage of pupils in classes with:  
			 1-30 pupils 79.9 84.4 85.8 86.8 89.9 
			 31 or more pupils 20.1 15.6 14.2 13.2 10.1 
			   
			  Classes in secondary schools  
			 Average class size 21.8 21.7 22.0 21.9 21.8 
			 Number of classes 709 731 732 724 708 
			 Percentage of classes with:  
			 1-30 pupils 94.6 94.1 94.4 93.2 92.5 
			 31 or more pupils 5.4 5.9 5.6 6.8 7.5 
			 Number of pupils 15,457 15,878 16,087 15,846 15,399 
			 Percentage of pupils in classes with:  
			 1-30 pupils 92.2 91.4 91.9 90.2 89.2 
			 31 or more pupils 7.8 8.6 8.1 9.8 10.8 
			 (1) Classes as taught during a single selected period in each school on the day of the census in January.  (2) Includes middle schools as deemed.  (3) For secondary schools, excludes sixth form colleges.  (4) Includes reception classes.  (5) Key Stage 1 classes of 31 or more may contain pupils who have been admitted as exceptions.   Source:  Schools' Census

Education Act 1996 (Prosecutions)

Stephen Byers: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many prosecutions were brought under section 7 of the Education Act 1996 in the last year for which figures are available; and how many such prosecutions involved children with cerebral palsy.

Jim Knight: Home Office data for 2004, the latest year for which figures are available, show 8,140 prosecutions in England and Wales under the Education Act 1996. These include:
	3,393 prosecutions for truancy under section 444(1);
	1,091 prosecutions for truancy under section 444(1A) (the aggravated offence);
	3,654 prosecutions for various offences under the Education Act. These are likely to include some prosecutions under sections 444(1) and (1A); and
	two prosecutions for child employment offences.
	Prosecutions related to section 7 for truancy are brought under section 444 of the Act. Information is not collected on the characteristics of pupils or their families.

Examinations

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which organisations are permitted to submit  (a) GCSE and  (b) A-level examinations for approval by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority.

Jim Knight: The awarding bodies AQA, Edexcel and OCR are the only organisations that currently submit GCSE and A-level specifications to the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA), which regulates qualifications in England. Any other organisations that wished to submit such a specification would have to show that it could abide by the relevant regulations.

Information and Communication Technology

Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what progress the e-Strategy Programme Board is making on integrating the use of IT in education; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The Department established a high level Technology Group in October 2005 to oversee the system wide implementation of the e-Strategy in England. The Department is supported in this role by the British Educational Communications and Technology Agency (Becta), and the Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC)—lead delivery partners for the e-Strategy.
	The e-Strategy is being delivered through four interlinked transformational programmes:
	Strategic Technologies—strategic and cost effective deployment of technological infrastructure.
	E-Maturity—building people and institutional capacity for effective use of technology.
	Personalised Content—multimedia resources adaptable to learners' needs and learning styles.
	Knowledge Architecture—improving the way in which information is shared and managed to support more personalised learning.

Information and Communication Technology

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much was allocated to schools for the purchase of information community technology equipment in each year since 1997.

Phil Hope: There was no specific funding allocated for the purchase of ICT equipment in 1997. ICT funding allocations for schools in England in each year from 1998 to 2006 are detailed in 'Funding for ICT in Schools in England' which is available in the House Library.
	From 2006-07 we have moved to a new method of funding for ICT equipment and there is no specific amount for ICT. The amounts previously allocated specifically for ICT have been included in allocations for Devolved Formula Capital and School Development Grant. Schools may use their overall resources, including their Devolved Formula Capital grant and their Schools Development Grant, to purchase ICT equipment and services. This supports schools in their financial management and provides greater flexibility on how they spend funding to target their priorities.

Maintained Schools

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many maintained schools in England offered  (a) general and  (b) vocational qualifications at level 3 or above in the national qualifications framework to pupils in the fourth key stage in the latest year for which figures are available.

Jim Knight: The Department does not hold information on whether schools offer level 3 qualifications to pupils in Key Stage 4.

School Fires

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the annual cost of fires in schools was in each year since 1995.

Jim Knight: The earliest figures we have from the Department for Communities and Local Government are for 2000 and the latest are for 2004. These cover school fires in England and Wales.
	
		
			   Number—fires  Total costs (£ million) 
			 2000 1,275 45 
			 2001 1,529 67 
			 2002 1,332 67 
			 2003 1,313 61 
			 2004 1,291 52 
		
	
	The costs are rounded to the nearest million and are derived from the (then) ODPM publication "Economic Cost of Fire, estimates for 2004". They cover property damage and the costs of the fire and rescue services attending the fires.

School Sprinkler Systems

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate he has made of the average additional cost of sprinkler systems in new school buildings built by local authorities; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: Last autumn, the Department commissioned the Building Research Establishment to carry out a cost benefit analysis study of installing sprinklers in schools. This will include a quantitative assessment of the costs and benefits of fitting automatic fire suppression systems in new schools, based on actual system costs and proposed system costs. It should therefore provide reliable figures for the costs of installing sprinklers in schools.
	The study is continuing and we expect to receive the final report within two months.

School Uniform Grants

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which local authorities do not provide school uniform grants.

Jim Knight: The information requested is not collected by the Department for Education and Skills.

Science Laboratories

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on the recall of funding promised for science laboratories.

Jim Knight: Capital investment underpins the Government's drive to raise standards of education and we are fully committed to taking forward our programme to renew and improve all schools. Funding for investment in schools is £6.8 billion this year and it will rise to over £8 billion by 2010-11. This compares to under £700 million in 1996-97.
	Our aims include rebuilding or renewing all secondary schools through the Building Schools for the Future programme, including their science laboratories, in fifteen waves of investment which started last year. Already about 350 schools have been prioritised in the first three waves, and we aim to include up to a further 600 schools in the next three waves. We also aim to have 200 Academies open or in the pipeline by 2010. In all, by 2010 almost a third of all secondary schools will be funded to improve their science teaching facilities.
	Building Schools for the Future is only one of our capital programmes, and is allocated just over a third of the total capital funding for schools. All schools and authorities get additional funding for their priorities. This includes the funding which schools get directly—a typical secondary school will get over £100,000 of its own money this year, which can be rolled over to allow larger projects such as science facilities to be addressed.
	We are providing the resources to improve school laboratories where this is the priority. What is now important is to ensure that the new laboratories are designed not just to teach the curriculum, but that they have 21(st) century facilities and are inspiring places to teach and to learn. Our aim is to enthuse pupils with an interest in science, both as a subject and a possible career. Therefore we are planning shortly to launch a "School Science Labs of the Future" project which will bring together teams of leading designers and bodies with specialist interest in, and practical knowledge of, the teaching and learning of science to develop a range of exemplar designs. The most exciting of these will be built in schools around the country so that there is a range of practical examples to act as benchmarks and to disseminate the learning.
	Although this is over a longer timescale, we believe that this is the best way of ensuring comprehensively that all young people have the opportunity to learn in high quality facilities which inspire them to pursue their dreams and achieve their potential, and not be turned off by science.

Standards Fund Grant

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the value was of Standards Fund Grant 31a in each year of its existence, broken down by local education authority.

Phil Hope: Standards Fund Grant 31a existed in 2004-05 and 2005-06. The following table shows the allocations to local authorities in those years (including local authority matched funding).
	
		
			  Grant 31a 
			  £ 
			  LEA name  DfES grant  LA  Total 
			 Corporation of London 25,369 23,289 48,659 
			 Camden 638,246 323,313 961,558 
			 Greenwich 929,030 478,680 1,407,709 
			 Hackney 741,338 377,522 1,118,860 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 514,969 257,240 772,209 
			 Islington 636,481 339,437 975,919 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 318,385 165,495 483,879 
			 Lambeth 762,731 413,268 1,175,999 
			 Lewisham 938,417 496,180 1,434,597 
			 Southwark 945,383 508,762 1,454,144 
			 Tower Hamlets 1,034,421 523,747 1,558,168 
			 Wandsworth 785,307 412,339 1,197,646 
			 Westminster 552,410 286,569 838,979 
			 Barking 706,361 380,404 1,086,764 
			 Barnet 1,264,921 667,714 1,932,634 
			 Bexley 974,821 517,191 1,492,012 
			 Brent 964,198 511,352 1,475,550 
			 Bromley 1,185,425 629,196 1,814,622 
			 Croydon 1,333,569 691,847 2,025,416 
			 Ealing 1,015,701 538,310 1,554,011 
			 Enfield 1,194,542 611,064 1,805,606 
			 Haringey 867,567 457,988 1,325,554 
			 Harrow 735,539 394,189 1,129,727 
			 Havering 926,259 509,400 1,435,658 
			 Hillingdon 1,014,820 544,709 1,559,530 
			 Hounslow 890,057 478,190 1,368,248 
			 Kingston upon Thames 520,790 284,070 804,860 
			 Merton 565,146 309,081 874,228 
			 Newham 1,155,307 593,878 1,749,184 
			 Redbridge 1,022,492 528,252 1,550,744 
			 Richmond upon Thames 521,472 278,096 799,569 
			 Sutton 710,360 387,731 1,098,091 
			 Waltham Forest 887,501 488,531 1,376,031 
			 Birmingham 4,638,095 2,451,247 7,089,342 
			 Coventry 1,300,932 687,708 1,988,640 
			 Dudley 1,272,967 673,680 1,946,647 
			 Sandwell 1,270,530 697,660 1,968,190 
			 Solihull 964,300 515,823 1,480,124 
			 Walsall 1,216,430 665,402 1,881,832 
			 Wolverhampton 1,087,966 576,668 1,664,633 
			 Knowsley 728,071 402,322 1,130,392 
			 Liverpool 2,018,060 1,094,479 3,112,539 
			 St. Helens 749,709 408,775 1,158,483 
			 Sefton 1,229,079 655,585 1,884,665 
			 Wirral 1,416,085 752,729 2,168,814 
			 Bolton 1,215,699 667,167 1,882,866 
			 Bury 752,860 425,238 1,178,099 
			 Manchester 1,784,035 966,541 2,750,576 
			 Oldham 1,089,744 607,776 1,697,519 
			 Rochdale 926,326 509,051 1,435,377 
			 Salford 942,423 521,403 1,463,826 
			 Stockport 1,136,873 623,703 1,760,575 
			 Tameside 956,565 537,417 1,493,982 
			 Trafford 929,567 513,540 1,443,108 
			 Wigan 1,308,022 733,488 2,041,510 
			 Barnsley 878,071 505,103 1,383,174 
			 Doncaster 1,362,660 782,926 2,145,586 
			 Rotherham 1,235,495 690,499 1,925,993 
			 Sheffield 1,950,661 1,044,345 2,995,006 
			 Bradford 2,159,533 1,183,949 3,343,483 
			 Calderdale 937,365 540,475 1,477,841 
			 Kirklees 1,702,939 974,683 2,677,622 
			 Leeds 2,922,458 1,609,268 4,531,726 
			 Wakefield 1,355,390 767,751 2,123,141 
			 Gateshead 821,693 449,973 1,271,666 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne 1,022,205 539,405 1,561,610 
			 North Tyneside 837,885 437,251 1,275,136 
			 South Tyneside 680,295 368,275 1,048,571 
			 Sunderland 1,222,967 650,513 1,873,481 
			 Isles of Scilly 35,655 31,495 67,150 
			 Bath and North East Somerset 716,583 414,963 1,131,545 
			 Bristol 1,348,544 733,240 2,081,785 
			 North Somerset 742,045 432,521 1,174,567 
			 South Gloucestershire 1,089,066 619,371 1,708,437 
			 Hartlepool 404,872 222,860 627,733 
			 Middlesborough 592,233 313,079 905,312 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 642,454 365,796 1,008,249 
			 Stockton-on-Tees 838,411 450,049 1,288,460 
			 Kingston-upon-Hull 1,029,032 557,049 1,586,080 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 1,402,450 846,846 2,249,296 
			 North East Lincolnshire 701,278 401,114 1,102,392 
			 North Lincolnshire 724,524 430,809 1,155,333 
			 North Yorkshire 2,882,150 1,805,887 4,688,036 
			 York 678,009 370,565 1,048,574 
			 Bedfordshire 1,797,038 1,079,807 2,876,845 
			 Luton 874,341 436,264 1,310,606 
			 Buckinghamshire 2,052,075 1,216,068 3,268,142 
			 Milton Keynes 919,597 536,020 1,455,617 
			 Derbyshire 3,205,782 1,946,675 5,152,456 
			 Derby City 939,661 532,578 1,472,239 
			 Dorset 1,563,515 945,506 2,509,022 
			 Poole 485,524 260,453 745,976 
			 Bournemouth 515,095 270,055 785,150 
			 Durham 2,288,822 1,341,944 3,630,767 
			 Darlington 404,870 232,427 637,296 
			 East Sussex 1,825,665 1,045,406 2,871,071 
			 Brighton and Hove 790,827 418,483 1,209,309 
			 Hampshire 4,779,980 2,777,432 7,557,412 
			 Portsmouth 707,634 375,228 1,082,862 
			 Southampton 803,848 436,288 1,240,136 
			 Leicestershire 2,598,077 1,521,606 4,119,683 
			 Leicester City 1,260,350 654,614 1,914,963 
			 Rutland 149,431 91,187 240,618 
			 Staffordshire 3,549,366 2,067,269 5,616,635 
			 Stoke-on-Trent 958,068 533,096 1,491,163 
			 Wiltshire 1,942,709 1,222,358 3,165,067 
			 Swindon 750,976 438,539 1,189,516 
			 Bracknell Forest 379,752 213,549 593,301 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead 523,443 307,317 830,760 
			 West Berkshire 706,540 423,433 1,129,973 
			 Reading 478,401 250,418 728,820 
			 Slough 522,917 274,341 797,258 
			 Wokingham 628,608 353,822 982,431 
			 Cambridgeshire 2,157,879 1,316,880 3,474,759 
			 Peterborough 767,752 435,346 1,203,098 
			 Cheshire 2,928,886 1,726,983 4,655,869 
			 Halton 558,327 308,711 867,037 
			 Warrington 821,924 461,644 1,283,569 
			 Devon 2,904,378 1,798,577 4,702,954 
			 Plymouth 1,065,968 570,687 1,636,654 
			 Torbay 475,486 261,024 736,509 
			 Essex 5,424,368 3,123,529 8,547,896 
			 Southend-on-Sea 664,733 361,449 1,026,182 
			 Thurrock 584,031 330,670 914,701 
			 Herefordshire 780,095 492,828 1,272,922 
			 Worcestershire 2,247,542 1,328,330 3,575,872 
			 Kent 5,731,717 3,274,868 9,006,586 
			 Medway 1,104,758 624,246 1,729,003 
			 Lancashire 5,036,448 2,943,831 7,980,280 
			 Blackburn with Darwen 660,125 370,570 1,030,695 
			 Blackpool 523,934 275,150 799,085 
			 Nottinghamshire 3,162,661 1,864,656 5,027,318 
			 Nottingham City 1,060,407 588,632 1,649,040 
			 Shropshire 1,238,181 781,591 2,019,773 
			 Telford and Wrekin 1,284,034 972,846 2,256,880 
			 Cornwall 2,169,031 1,332,816 3,501,847 
			 Cumbria 2,418,583 1,518,508 3,937,091 
			 Gloucestershire 2,516,819 1,517,105 4,033,923 
			 Hertfordshire 4,605,862 2,701,081 7,306,942 
			 Isle of Wight 590,765 349,885 940,649 
			 Lincolnshire 2,977,721 1,833,022 4,810,743 
			 Norfolk 3,425,700 2,125,199 5,550,898 
			 Northamptonshire 2,865,912 1,721,213 4,587,125 
			 Northumberland 1,542,598 954,543 2,497,141 
			 Oxfordshire 2,470,822 1,462,164 3,932,987 
			 Somerset 2,154,983 1,307,743 3,462,727 
			 Suffolk 2,964,114 1,769,284 4,733,397 
			 Surrey 3,689,521 2,114,442 5,803,964 
			 Warwickshire 2,149,805 1,263,875 3,413,681 
			 West Sussex 2,851,475 1,629,395 4,480,871 
			 Total 208,110,851 118,650,000 326,760,851

Student Finance

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what the total value of payments made by people repaying student loans via the income contingent repayment model but not allocated to student loan accounts has been for each year since 2002;
	(2)  what total amount of payments collected via the income contingent model was not allocated to student loan accounts in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 1 June 2006.

Student Income and Expenditure Survey

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether he plans to repeat the Student Income and Expenditure Survey 2002-03.

Bill Rammell: The most current Student Income and Expenditure Survey was carried out in the 2004-05 academic year and was published on the 30 March. It can be found on the internet at: www.dfes.gov.uk/research/data/uploadfiles/RR725.pdf. The Department plans to repeat the survey in the 2007-08 academic year.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

2012 Olympics

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what funding she estimates will be spent on improving hotel facilities for the 2012 London Olympics.

Shaun Woodward: Improving the quality of the UK's hotels, and other visitor accommodation, is a key aim for my Department and its partners in the tourism sector. The grading schemes operated in England, Scotland, and Wales are central to that process of improvement, and to consumer certainty in the quality of the British tourism product.
	VisitBritain's net expenditure on accommodation quality grading work in 2005-06 was £2,374,600 (after Value Added Tax). This figure represents payments to the Quality in Tourism division of GSL, which operates VisitBritain's quality scheme under contract, less participation fees received. These figures will change over time, but it is likely that a net minimum of £12.5 million will be spent on the quality scheme by VisitBritain from its grant in aid resources over the life of the 5 year contract, to 2010. VisitScotland and the Wales Tourist Board additionally invest significant amounts in their own quality schemes, which have been fully standardised with those of VisitBritain and the Automobile Association since May 2005.
	My Department will shortly start a major consultation of the tourism sector, to inform a comprehensive strategy for making the most of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games of 2012. Funding for any new work on accommodation quality, which may arise as a result of that consultation, will be considered before the tourism strategy is issued.

British Slave Trade

Dawn Butler: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which organisations have received Government funding for events relating to the 200th anniversary of the Act which abolished the British slave trade; and what events and activities are planned.

David Lammy: Among other support, my Department is contributing £250,000 per year to the new International Slavery Museum in Liverpool, due to open in 2007. In addition, museums in Hull, Bristol, Liverpool and London will, by 2008, have received £910,000 from my Department and DfES to encourage more informed and effective teaching about slavery as part of the Understanding Slavery Initiative education project, working with schools and communities. Many other museums, galleries, arts organisations, heritage sites, archives and libraries are currently planning their contribution and how best to involve their local communities. There are plans by faith leaders for a commemoration service in Westminster Abbey; and commemorative stamps and coins. The Heritage Lottery Fund has also funded the following community organisations:
	Action Force Africa
	African Caribbean Emancipation Trust
	African Forum
	Anti Slavery Arch group, Stroud
	Anti Slavery International
	Birmingham and District Local History Association
	Birmingham City Archives
	Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery (working with The Equiano Society)
	Bristol City Council—Bristol Museums and Art Gallery
	Diversity Arts Incubation programme
	Durham University
	Global Education Milton Keynes
	Harewood House Trust
	High Street Ltd.
	Hull Museums and Art Gallery
	Kender Primary School
	Kingston upon Hull City Council (City Arts)
	Lyric Theatre Hammersmith Ltd.
	Merton Black Educational Forum
	Milton Keynes Council
	National Maritime Museum
	National Museums Liverpool
	Open Doors Forum
	Rendezvous of Victory
	St. Pauls Church, Mill Hill
	Streetbase
	Stroud Brunei Group
	Trafford Youth Service
	Watford African Caribbean Association
	Windrush Foundation
	Women in Jazz

Consultations

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the Answer of 17 May 2006,  Official Report, column 979W, on consultations, why the cost of public consultations is not recorded and kept; and if she will now do so.

David Lammy: The costs and demands of a public consultation can vary considerably, and as such would be difficult to quantify. As an integral part of policy development, the costs associated with public consultations are met from divisional budgets. I have no plans to record or keep the costs of public consultations.

Criminal Offences Legislation

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will list the criminal offences created in legislation sponsored by her Department since April 2005, broken down by Act.

David Lammy: Criminal offences are created by the following provisions of the Gambling Act 2005:
	s.33(1); s.37(1); s.41(1); s.42(1); s.43 (1); S.44(1); s.46(1); s.47(1), (4), (5), (6) and (7); s.48(1); s.49; s.50(1); s.51(1); s.52; s.53; s.54(1) and (2); s.55(1) and (4); s.56(l); s.57 (1); s.58; s.59(1); s.101(6); s.105(3); s.108(2); s.109(4); s.122(5); s.134(2); s.138(3); s.139(2); s.185(2); s.186(6); s.229(2); s.242(1) and (2); s.243(1) and (2); s.244(1); s.245(1); s.258(1); s.259(1); s.260(2); s.261(2); s.262; s.275(7); s.281(7); s.301(2); s.316(5); s.326(1); s.328(5); 5.330(1); s.331(1); s.337(5); 5.342(1); s.345(5); schedule 10 paragraph 20; schedule 12 paragraphs 13(1) and 15(6); schedule 13 paragraph 10(1); schedule 14 paragraph 20.
	Members should consult the texts of the Gambling Act 2005 for full details of the offences.

Gaming Machines

Sandra Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the impact on seaside economies of the freeze in gaming machine stake and prize levels.

Richard Caborn: There is no policy to freeze stake and prize limits. We announced in October 2004 that our policy has been to increase the maximum stake for amusement with prizes (AWP) machines from 30p to 50p, and for jackpot machines in bingo halls from 50p to £1. This would be on full implementation of the Gambling Act in September 2007. The Government made their position clear during the passage of the Gambling Bill through Parliament that these changes would need to be connected with measures to improve social responsibility.
	The stake and prize limits are only one factor amongst many affecting seaside economies. The Government are conscious of the issues facing the machine manufacturing industry, and the pubs, clubs and entertainment centres to whom AWP machines, in particular, are so important.

Survey Databases

Oliver Letwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many people have been interviewed by her Department as a result of  (a) Taking Part: The National Survey of Culture, Leisure and Sport and  (b) surveys undertaken by her Department since 1997.

David Lammy: The information is as follows.
	 (a) To date approximately 22,000 people have been interviewed as a result of Taking Part: The National Survey of Culture Leisure and Sport.
	The total, annual sample size for this survey will be about 30,000. This large sample size is needed to measure changes of 2-3 percentage points in participation rates with a high degree of confidence (95 per cent.), in support of the Department's Public service agreement target 3.
	Until the launch of Taking Part: The National Survey of Culture, Leisure and Sport in 2005, several of our non-departmental public bodies commissioned their own surveys, for example the sport and leisure module within the General Household Survey. Taking Part is a collaborative cross-sectoral survey and in many cases replaces the need for our partner bodies to undertake additional surveys.
	 (b) Aside from Taking Part, the main quantitative surveys of members of the public to which the Department has contributed funding comprise:
	the International Passenger Survey of 250,000 people a year from 2000-01. This is run by the Office for National Statistics and funded mainly by a consortium of Departments. These data are required to meet requirements of the European Union directive on tourism statistics.
	the General Household Survey of 20,000 people a year between 2000-01 and 2004-05, also run by the Office for National Statistics. This provided the Department with data on specific issues such as digital television; and our funding enabled our non-departmental public bodies to commission a more substantial module of questions on sport and leisure; and
	several smaller surveys of 7,500 or fewer, which in total amount to about 50,000 interviews since 1997.

Tourism Tax

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what  (a) assessment she has made of and  (b) research she has commissioned on the potential impact that a bed tax on tourist accommodation would have on the tourism industry.

Shaun Woodward: I have commissioned neither an assessment nor research on the potential impact of a bed tax. Sir Michael Lyons is considering a wide range of local government role and funding issues, including the potential for local taxes and charges. The Government will not take any decisions on changes to local government finance, until it has had the chance to consider and reflect on Sir Michael's report and recommendations, due at the end of 2006. I will fully assess the potential impact of Sir Michael's recommendations once he has made them, as is appropriate in the case of an independent review, and respond accordingly.

TV Licences (Outlets)

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make representations to the BBC in favour of the continued sale of  (a) television licences and  (b) television licence saving stamps at post offices.

Shaun Woodward: Contractual arrangements for the sale of television licences are a matter for the BBC as licensing authority, taking into account both value for money and the convenience of licence fee payers. It would be inappropriate for the Government to intervene in such matters.

TV Licences (Outlets)

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assumptions she has made about the future growth of the number of households in assessing the level of the new BBC licence fee.

Shaun Woodward: The Government are considering this issue as part of the current review of the future funding of the BBC. Our conclusions will be announced in due course.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Budgetary Support (Developing World)

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what his policy is on providing direct budgetary support to Governments in the developing world; and if he will make a statement.

Hilary Benn: DFID provides budget support—either direct budget support or sector support—to countries where:
	the partner Government's planned budget priorities support the reduction of poverty;
	there is commitment to strengthening administrative, financial and technical systems so that UK funds help to reduce poverty effectively and where,
	giving aid in this way produces benefits that would be unlikely to be achieved through other forms of aid delivery.
	Currently, budget support counts for only 25 per cent. of the UK's bilateral aid programme.

HIV/AIDS

Robert Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the outcomes of the recent UN General Assembly special session on HIV/AIDS.

Hilary Benn: The United Nations General Assembly high level meeting agreed a political declaration which met virtually all of the UK's objectives, including: committing countries to develop, by the end of 2006, ambitious national plans to work towards universal access by 2010; drawing up comprehensive HIV prevention programmes, treatment, care and support, with interim targets for 2008; ensuring that no credible, sustainable national plan should go unfunded, recognising the need to provide from donor countries, national budgets and other sources $20-23 billion annually by 2010 for AIDS responses; and intensifying efforts to develop new technology, especially microbicides and vaccines.

Overseas Aid

Robert Goodwill: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of UK aid delivered by his Department compared with that channelled via the European Union.

Gareth Thomas: Evidence shows that the European Commission has improved its effectiveness substantially since 2000, when a major reform programme commenced. Today, delivery is faster, with implementation undertaken by strengthened field offices. The European Commission is also more active internationally, supporting the UK's push for increased aid volumes. However, there is still a case for further reform, with a focus on impact, quality and more devolution.

Climate Change

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps he is taking to assist developing countries to tackle the impact of climate change.

Hilary Benn: DFID is working to improve the availability and use of climate risk information in Africa through the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS), contributing £5 million over 5 years. We have launched a research programme, with Canada, which aims to improve African countries' capacity to adapt to climate change by building a body of knowledge and research skills which can be incorporated into planning processes, contributing £24 million over 5 years. We are contributing £20 million over 3 years through the United Nations to help countries develop national adaptation strategies. We have started to carry out climate risk assessments of DFID country programmes, starting with Bangladesh.

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps he is taking to support the forthcoming democratic elections in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Hilary Benn: The UK is the largest bilateral donor to the electoral process in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), providing more than £23 million over 2 years. This is funding electoral operations through the Independent Electoral Commission, conflict prevention and mediation initiatives, international and national observation projects to ensure the equal participation of men and women, and training and equipping the police to provide security during the elections. The UK has also provided important and sustained political pressure to ensure that the transition remains on track and will continue to do so. I hope to visit the DRC after the electoral process is complete in the autumn.

Zimbabwe

Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment he has made of the humanitarian impact of land clearances in Zimbabwe.

Hilary Benn: DFID liaises closely with UN agencies and NGOs that closely monitor ongoing vulnerability among the 700,000 people whose homes or livelihoods were destroyed by the Government of Zimbabwe during last year's Operation Murambatsvina (Drive out Rubbish). The UN is also investigating new episodes of evictions.
	Last year, DFID committed £1.8 million to the humanitarian response, which reached some 200,000 people with food, blankets and other essentials. For many the situation remains difficult, especially regarding shelter. We recently contributed a further £1.1 million to provide practical assistance to vulnerable urban families. We continue to raise concerns through the UN.

Millennium Development Goals

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of progress in meeting the millennium development goals for beneficial health outcomes.

Gareth Thomas: Improvements in health require progress against all MDGs. Progress is mixed; many countries have made significant gains but massive challenges persist in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. On current trends, many poor countries will not meet the goals. Without underestimating the challenges, the means to ensure that every country achieves the goals are available. The task is to live up to the commitments made by G8 leaders in 2005 to support countries efforts to ensure access to essential health services. DFID is currently revising its health strategy to meet this challenge.

Indonesian Earthquake

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to his written statement of 5 June 2006,  Official Report, column 11WS, on the Indonesian earthquake, what further humanitarian assistance his Department plans to provide.

Hilary Benn: Immediate relief needs during the emergency phase are largely being met, and we have no plans to commit further humanitarian assistance in addition to the £5 million already announced. The Government of Indonesia are now planning for longer term reconstruction. The UK is ready to support longer term reconstruction, and we will decide on the appropriate level of funding on the basis of an assessment of needs.

Bilateral Aid (Water and Sanitation)

Dari Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development on what basis the figures for the proportion of UK bilateral aid spent on water and sanitation are calculated.

Hilary Benn: DFID commissions an independent report on its expenditure on water and sanitation, including bilateral expenditure and all spend through other agencies. This report, 'Financial Support to the Water Sector', is produced by Atkins Consultants and is publicly available on the DFID website at http://www.dfid.gov.uk/pubs/files/water-sector-finance.pdf. Copies have also been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
	The report provides detailed estimates of how much DFID spends on water and sanitation. It includes spending on programmes and projects for which water and sanitation improvement is the main objective. It also includes estimated proportions of spend for other programmes in education, health etc., where water and sanitation form part of the overall programme. It includes all themes covered by water and sanitation: water resource management, assessment and protection; urban and rural water supply and sanitation; humanitarian assistance; and water for food. It presents a breakdown of expenditure by region, country, theme and bilateral aid type. Sensitivity analysis of the necessary assumptions is also presented. An update of the report, with details of expenditure for 2004-05 and 2005-06 will be published in autumn 2006.

Burma

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on the humanitarian situation in Burma.

Gareth Thomas: The humanitarian situation in Burma is very poor. Reliable data are scarce, but many of Burma's 50 million people live in serious poverty—a situation exacerbated by the Government's actions. There are reportedly half a million people internally displaced in Eastern Burma, with around 100,000 in hiding in conflict areas, and more than half a million refugees in neighbouring nations. Communicable disease is an acute problem. Over 70 per cent. of the population live in malaria risk areas and Burma has one of the most serious HIV epidemics in Asia.

Departmental Staff

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many non-pensionable bonuses were awarded to members of his staff in each of the last three years; and at what total cost.

Gareth Thomas: The following table gives the number of non-pensionable bonuses awarded to DFID staff over the last three years with total costs for each year.
	
		
			   Number of awards  Total cost (£)  Percentage of DFID's total paybill 
			 2003-04 711 475,101 0.77 
			 2004-05 576 497,350 0.79 
			 2005-06 1,171 892,965 1.27

DEFENCE

Arms Trade Treaty

Michael Wills: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he plans to take to increase his Department's efforts, resources and capacity to deliver an Arms Trade Treaty.

Adam Ingram: As part of a cross-Whitehall team the Ministry of Defence is fully committed to working together towards an international arms trade treaty.
	We continue to play an active role and have committed Defence resource to support the delivery of this treaty.

Army Bases/Personnel (Northern Ireland)

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Army personnel were stationed in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years; and if he will list the operational Army bases in Northern Ireland.

Adam Ingram: I refer the hon. member to the answer I gave to him on 18 July 2005,  Official Report, columns 1320W-1322W. The number of armed forces personnel (Army, Navy and Air Force) stationed in Northern Ireland since then is set out in the following table:
	
		
			   Number of armed forces personnel 
			 31 October 2005 9,490 
			 31 May 2006 8,890 
		
	
	In addition, other troops can be made available to the General Officer Commanding Northern Ireland from Land Command if required, for example during the marching season.
	A list of military sites (military bases and installations, joint PSNI/military bases, towers and observation posts) as at 31 January 2006 was given in the ninth report of the Independent Monitoring Commission. This was laid before Parliament by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, in a written ministerial statement, on 9 March 2006,  Official Report, column 79WS.
	Since 31 January 2006, three observation towers (R21, R13A and G40) have been closed. Work has been completed on R21 and R13A, and the land has been handed back to Defence Estates for disposal. Work is still ongoing on the G40 site.

Army Land Rovers

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many working armoured land rovers the army has in  (a) total,  (b) Iraq and  (c) Afghanistan.

Adam Ingram: For UK holdings, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 25 May 2006,  Official Report, column 1992W. In respect of Iraq and Afghanistan I am withholding details of the military capability deployed on operations since its disclosure would reveal the strength and capability of UK forces operating in theatre, and could have a bearing on operational security.

Bonuses

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many non-pensionable bonuses were awarded to members of his staff in each of the last three years; and what the total cost was.

Tom Watson: The number and value of annual appraisal related bonuses paid to members of the senior civil service (SCS), to fixed term appointees and to civil servants below the level of the SCS, over the past three years, are listed in the following tables one to three. In addition, the Ministry of Defence awards special bonuses to individuals and teams for exceptional performance in a specific task or for the achievement of professional qualifications which benefit MOD and the individual; these are shown in table four. The final table (five) shows the total value of all bonuses paid: in cash terms and as a percentage of the total civilian pay bill.
	
		
			  Table 1: Bonuses paid to senior civil servants 
			   2005-06  2004-05  2003-04 
			 Number of bonuses paid 184 136 134 
			 Value of bonuses paid (£) 909,500 711,737 672,460 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Bonuses paid to fixed term appointees 
			   2005-06  2004-05  2003-04 
			 Number of bonuses paid 12 16 13 
			 Value of bonuses paid (£) 80,478 119,668 80,347 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 3: End of year bonuses paid to staff below the level of the SCS [excluding MOD Trading Fund Agencies] 
			   2005-06  2004-05  2003-04 
			 Number of bonuses paid 38,766 36,043 27,497 
			 Value of bonuses paid (£) 37,962,800 29,312,275 20,203,875 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 4: Special bonuses [excluding MOD Trading Fund Agencies] 
			   2005-06  2004-05  2003-04 
			 Number of staff who received bonus(es) 10,131 10,074 11,872 
			 Value of bonuses paid (£) 4,364,400 3,962,482 3,909,531 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 5: Summary of bonuses paid 
			   2005-06  2004-05  2003-04 
			 Value of all bonuses paid (£) 43,317,178 34,106,162 24,866,213 
			 Percentage of total civilian pay bill Accounts not yet published 1.15 1.01

Casualty Statistics

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether servicemen and women who lost a leg in action would be counted by his Department as wounded if treated by US doctors.

Tom Watson: holding answer 25 May 2006
	The Ministry of Defence publishes casualty information compiled from a number of sources. One of these sources is the UK's main (Role 3) Field hospital in Shaibah in Iraq. The current figure (around 240 personnel) cited for troops wounded as a result of hostile action on Operation Telic is based on the records of those treated at the Shaibah Field hospital. This figure does not therefore include UK forces treated only at US facilities.
	To present a more complete picture and to capture UK military and civilian personnel injured in Iraq and not included in the Shaibah figure for those wounded as a result of hostile action, we have published figures on Telic casualties drawn from other sources. These are the Notification of Casualty (NOTICAS) reporting and Aeromed figures.
	The Aeromed figure includes all UK military and civilian personnel medically evacuated from Iraq whatever the cause and from any location in Iraq, including Baghdad, to any destination outside that country. This reporting includes all UK service personnel who have lost a leg and have been treated at US medical facilities in Iraq.
	The Notification of Casualty reporting is comprehensive from January 2005 onwards, when the Joint Compassionate Casualty Centre (JCCC) was set up, and includes all UK personnel treated at US facilities for serious injuries. But during the early phases of Operation Telic the tempo of operations meant that the paperwork associated with the NOTICAS process was not always completed properly. As a result we cannot be certain that all our NOTICAS records covering this early period are complete.
	We are working to cross check historic information to improve our Telic casualty reporting, including records for RFA Argus and 202 Field hospital. Once this information has been verified, I will place a copy in the House of Commons Library.

Criminal Offences Legislation

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the criminal offences created in legislation sponsored by his Department since April 2005, broken down by Act.

Tom Watson: The Ministry of Defence has sponsored no primary legislation since April 2005 and has, therefore, created no criminal offences.

Dartmoor National Park (Firing Ranges)

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which dates were advertised in advance for live army firing in the Dartmoor National Park for the years ending  (a) 31 December 2003,  (b) 31 December 2004 and  (c) 31 December 2005; on what dates firing actually took place on each of the firing ranges in the Dartmoor National Park in those years; and if he will make a statement.

Tom Watson: I will write to the hon. Member as soon as possible and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Iraq

Philip Dunne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many armed forces personnel returned from Iraq in 2005 diagnosed with  (a) mental health and  (b) physical conditions which required (i) hospital and (ii) rehabilitation treatment in the UK.

Tom Watson: Our records show that 732 armed forces personnel were aeromedically evacuated from Iraq in 2005. Of these, 666 were diagnosed with physical conditions, and 309 of them were treated at the Royal Centre for Defence Medicine at Selly Oak, Birmingham, which is the Ministry of Defence's main receiving hospital for aeromedically evacuated personnel. The others were transferred to other NHS hospitals or referred to community-based care for ongoing treatment. We are unable to determine precisely how many of these patients required hospital treatment or were discharged at the airhead for ongoing care in the community as the relevant database does not contain this information. To provide this information, individual patient records would have to be consulted, and this could only be done at disproportionate cost and with the patient's permission.
	Determining the number of personnel who returned from Iraq with a mental health condition is not straightforward. Sixty six personnel were aeromedically evacuated in 2005 specifically because they were diagnosed as suffering from a mental health condition, but the number who were diagnosed, after their return, with psychological problems as a result of their service in Iraq is greater than this. The Defence Analytical Services Agency (DASA) was notified of 727 personnel who were referred to the MOD's Departments of Community Mental Health in 2005 with possible mental health problems and subsequently identified as having a psychiatric disorder related to their service in Iraq at any date from 2003. It can also be difficult to determine the underlying causes of some mental health problems, some of which could be caused by a combination of other life events that occurred before or after service in Iraq.

MARS Programme

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he plans to ensure that vessels in the Military Afloat Reach and Sustainability programme will be constructed by United Kingdom shipyards.

Adam Ingram: As indicated in the Defence Industrial Strategy, UK yards and other UK suppliers will be given every opportunity to compete for this shipbuilding work and should see it as a challenge and an opportunity to demonstrate world-class performance. With the high planned workload on CVF and Type 45, the complex warship design and integration capabilities that we intend to sustain in the UK will remain healthy for some years.

New Technologies (Research)

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what percentage of the Department's budget was spent researching new technologies in the last period for which figures are available.

Adam Ingram: The overall spend on research in relation to overall defence spending is available in the UK Defence Statistics 2005 publication. Table 1.1 'Defence Expenditure/Budget 2003-04' of the publication displays the net Defence budget as some £31 billion. Table 1.7 'MOD Research and Development Expenditure 2003-04' records the net budget spent on research as £574 million.

Parliamentary Ombudsman

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list those occasions when the recommendations of a report from the Parliamentary Ombudsman were  (a) rejected and  (b) partly rejected by his Department since 1997.

Tom Watson: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer which my noble Friend Lord Drayson, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, gave in another place on 3 May 2006,  Official Report,  House of Lords, column WA87.

Public Consultations

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many public consultations his Department undertook in the last 12 months; and what the cost was  (a) in total and  (b) of each consultation.

Tom Watson: The Ministry of Defence undertook 13 public consultations in the last year.
	To obtain the cost of the 12 consultations carried out by Defence Estates (DE)—the Ministry of Defence agency with responsibility for the defence estates—would incur disproportionate costs, but it is likely to be in the thousands.
	The thirteenth public consultation was carried out by the Met Office, which is a trading fund of the Ministry of Defence. The total estimated cost in terms of man hours for this consultation was £120,000.
	In addition, the Ministry of Defence carried out 10 consultation meetings with local government elected representatives and officials relating to proposed RAF projects within local areas. The total cost of these consultation meetings, on a capitation rate basis, was less than £10,000.

Public Transport (Incentives)

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what incentives are available to encourage members of his staff to use public transport for travelling to and from work.

Tom Watson: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) encourages the use of more sustainable travel as part its work on sustainable development. MOD offers staff interest free loans to purchase bicycles and public transport season tickets for commuting to and from their place of work. Subject to meeting our business needs the MoD also allows staff to stagger their working hours if that will assist them using public transport before or after the rush hour.

RAF Menwith Hill/Fylingdales

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many  (a) US military personnel,  (b) US contractors,  (c) US civilians,  (d) UK military personnel,  (e) Ministry of Defence Police Agency personnel,  (f) GCHQ employees and  (g) UK civilians work at (i) RAF Menwith Hill and (ii) RAF Fylingdales.

Adam Ingram: As at 1 June 2006 the figures for RAF Menwith Hill were: 484 US military personnel; 538 US contractors; 458 US civilians, of which 243 are US Department of Defence civillians; 11 UK military personnel; 161 Ministry of Defence Police and Guarding Agency personnel; I am withholding the number of GCHQ employees in accordance with Government policy of not commenting on intelligence matters; and 231 UK civilian personnel work at the base.
	As of 1 June 2006 the figures for RAF Fylingdales were: one US military personnel; 20 US contractors; nine US civilians; 85 RAF personnel; 104 Ministry of Defence Police and Guarding Agency personnel; there are no GCHQ employees working at RAF Fylingdales; and 37 UK civilian personnel work at the base.

Redress of Grievance Cases

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many redress of grievance cases have been withdrawn in each of the armed forces over the last 12 months.

Tom Watson: The number of redress of grievance cases that have been withdrawn(1) having reached higher authority or service board level between 30 April 2005 and 1 May 2006 are shown in the following table. Records of grievances raised and withdrawn at unit level are not held centrally.
	(1 )The term "withdrawn" describes a complaint that was neither settled nor rejected, but was withdrawn by the complainant before action was completed.
	
		
			  Armed force  Number 
			 Royal Navy 6 
			 Army 19 
			 Royal Air Force 4

Sexual Relationships (Dismissals)

Derek Conway: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many officers in the armed forces were dismissed for having a sexual relationship with a subordinate in each of the last five years.

Tom Watson: Officers would not be dismissed but may be required to resign their commissions or be administratively discharged.
	No Royal Navy or Royal Air Force officers have been required to resign for having a sexual relationship with a subordinate in the last five years.
	Information for the Army is only available for the last three years and is shown in the following table:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2003 7 
			 2004 5 
			 2005 3

Submarines

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many decommissioned nuclear-powered submarines are awaiting disposal; where they are located; and what estimate he has made of the amount of  (a) high,  (b) intermediate and  (c) low-level nuclear material present in each submarine.

Adam Ingram: There are 13 decommissioned and de-fuelled nuclear powered submarines awaiting disposal that are stored safely afloat—seven at Rosyth and four at Devonport (Plymouth). Two other submarines at Devonport are awaiting de-fuelling prior to being stored afloat pending disposal. The spent fuel is the only high-level radioactive material on these submarines.
	On leaving naval service each submarine contains approximately 83 tonnes of intermediate-level waste (ILW) and 81 tonnes of low-level waste (LLW). A proportion of the ILW will decay over time to LLW. For example, after 30 years, the quantity of ILW would have reduced to approximately 19 tonnes and the LLW proportionally increased to 145 tonnes.

Typhoon Aircraft

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the key spares shortages are for Typhoon aircraft.

Adam Ingram: The spares and support arrangements for Typhoon are being built up as the RAF aircraft fleet grows, and the availability of spares varies from day to day depending on the maintenance that is required.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Best Value Surveys

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance her Department has issued to councils on the carrying out of Best Value surveys; and if she will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: The Department has published detailed guidance for authorities carrying out the Best Value user satisfaction surveys on a dedicated website established for the purpose of administering the surveys.
	The website, www.survey.bvpi.gov.uk, serves as a single portal for authorities undertaking the surveys, hosting all materials required and enabling the upload of the data. The Department has been working very closely with the Audit Commission to provide the necessary support to local authorities undertaking the surveys. The Commission is administering the website and providing a helpdesk and the Department is running a series of seminars to field questions on the Best Value surveys.
	The website and guidance went live in March 2006 and all authorities were contacted to ensure that they were aware of the publication. All local authorities have either registered on the website or are in communication with the Audit Commission about the surveys; a statement about the availability of the guidance is therefore felt to be unnecessary.

Citizen Information Project

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will place in the Library a copy of the written communication sent by the Citizen Information Project to her Department on 10 January 2005.

Angela Smith: We have no record of any correspondence received from The Citizen Information Project on 10 January 2005.

Council Tax

Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many properties are  (a) designated as second homes and eligible for a council tax discount and  (b) claiming such a discount in each local authority in Wiltshire.

Phil Woolas: The number of properties in Wiltshire designated as second homes and claiming a discount in council tax as at 19 September 2005, the latest date for which figures are available, is shown in the following table.
	
		
			   Number of properties 
			 Kennet 497 
			 North Wiltshire 43 
			 Salisbury 976 
			 Swindon 79 
			 West Wiltshire 467

Council Tax

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the merits of using the forthcoming council tax revaluation to encourage energy efficiency and waste reduction.

Phil Woolas: In September 2005 the Government announced the postponement of council tax revaluation in England, and have made it clear that they do not expect that revaluation will occur during the present Parliament. The Government await the final report of the independent inquiry into local government by Sir Michael Lyons, which is due to be submitted by the end of 2006, before deciding whether any reforms to the council tax system are required.

Debt Collectors

Julie Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether  (a) her Department or  (b) its (i) Executive Agencies and (ii) non-Departmental public bodies use the services of private debt collectors.

Angela Smith: The Department for Communities and Local Government and its Executive Agencies do not currently use the services of private debt collectors. One DCLG non-Departmental body uses a private debt collector.

Fire Services

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what use the fire service  (a) has made and  (b) makes of perfluorooctane sulphonate; and what advice and guidance the Department has issued on its use.

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what use the fire services  (a) have made and  (b) make of perfluorooctane sulphonate; and what guidance her Department has issued on its use.

Angela Smith: Perfluorooctane sulphonate, known as PFOS, is used in a number of industrial applications and was used as an ingredient in two particular firefighting foam concentrate ranges for petrochemical fires.
	In October 2004 DEFRA consulted on a national action to restrict the use of PFOS following evidence to suggest that it could be harmful in certain circumstance to both the environment and humans. However, before consultations had been completed, the European Commission suspended our unilateral action and subsequently issued its own draft directive to restrict the marketing and use of PFOS. In this draft, all current PFOS uses, including firefighting foam, would be allowed to continue. This would not therefore allow the UK to set regulations to ban its use.
	The stocks of foams based on PFOS are diminishing but it is likely that some fire and rescue services do still hold some stocks.
	As a result DCLG, jointly with the Environment Agency, are proposing a voluntary phasing out of PFOS-based firefighting foams and will shortly be issuing guidance to the fire and rescue services requesting them to no longer use these foams and instead to consider the use of alternatives once they are satisfied the performance of these alternatives meets their needs. Some fire and rescue services have already voluntarily substituted their stocks of PFOS foams with alternatives, the old foam having been destroyed by incineration.

Home Information Packs (Denmark)

Michael Gove: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the impact of the introduction of non-mandatory home information packs on the property market in Denmark.

Yvette Cooper: I have been asked to reply.
	The reforms to the Danish home buying and selling process have been widely welcomed by professionals and consumer representatives who assess that the reforms have improved the efficiency of the housing market. The latest figures show that there were 79,543 sales completed in 2004 as against 77,455 in 1996 (the year before the reforms were introduced). House prices have increased by 73 per cent. in Denmark during the period 1997 to 2005, compared to a 166 per cent. rise in Britain during the same period.

Local Strategic Partnerships

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans she has to extend the scope and flexibility of local area agreements.

Phil Woolas: Since the launch of LAAs in July 2004, their scope, and the opportunities they offer to local areas, have grown with each round. We have, in particular, seen a significant increase in the number of funding streams capable of being pooled, the introduction of automatically pooled funding streams, the launch of a new economic development block and the trialling of an increasing number of single pot agreements.
	LAAs are rapidly becoming key to the way central Government and local areas do business together. We will continue to refine the LAA framework in the light of experience and in the wider context of the local:vision agenda.

Ministerial Visits (Accommodation)

David Simpson: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the total cost was of overnight accommodation for  (a) civil servants and  (b) special advisers in his Department staying overnight in (i) mainland Great Britain, (ii) Northern Ireland, (iii) the Republic of Ireland and (iv) other countries in each of the last three years.

Angela Smith: I have been asked to reply.
	The information is not collected in the form requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

New Deal for Communities

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the merits of introducing a successor funding regime to replace the New Deal for Communities programmes from 2010-11.

Phil Woolas: The Department is currently working with the NDC partnerships to support their planning in continuing progress after the NDC programme ends in 2010-11. This could involve the partnerships evolving into different succession organisations and encouraging partners to mainstream services.
	The 2007 Comprehensive Spending Review will examine all DCLG programmes including regeneration and neighbourhood renewal.

Nuclear Rail Freight

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether local authorities along the rail routes taken by trains transporting nuclear material are required to prepare emergency plans to deal with an incident involving one of these trains.

Edward Miliband: I have been asked to reply.
	Part 1 of the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 establishes a statutory framework for civil protection activity at the local level. Under this legislation all principal local authorities and other key partners are required to maintain emergency plans, informed by risk assessments, to ensure that they can mobilise an effective emergency response to a range of emergencies including transport accidents. The legislation also requires local authorities and other key partners to exercise these plans and ensure that relevant staff receive adequate training.
	The transport of radioactive material, including nuclear materials, is governed by the stringent internationally agreed standards recommended by the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Parliamentary Ombudsman

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will list those occasions when the recommendations of a report from the Parliamentary Ombudsman were  (a) rejected and  (b) partly rejected by her Department since 1997.

Angela Smith: Since 1997 the Department for Communities and Local Government and its Agencies have not refused or omitted to give effect to the recommendations of the Parliamentary Ombudsman, either concerning complaints about administrative practices, service delivery or complaints made under the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.
	Information available for Department for Communities and Local Government on specific cases that concern Government offices shows that they have not refused or omitted to give effect to the recommendations of the Parliamentary Ombudsman, either concerning complaints about administrative practices, service delivery or complaints made under the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.
	The Department for Communities and Local Government holds no comprehensive central information on the status of all Ombudsman cases in other Government Departments involving, or partly involving, Government offices. That information would be available only at disproportionate cost.

Party Wall etc. Act 1996

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will introduce enforcement powers exercisable by local authorities for failure to serve a notice of proposed works under the Party Wall etc. Act 1996; and if she will make a statement.

Angela Smith: I currently have no plans to amend the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 as suggested.

Public Transport

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what discussions she has had with the Department for Transport on ensuring that improved public transport is an integral part of the community regeneration programmes.

Phil Woolas: The Government continues to consider all aspects of regeneration as part of the remit of the Domestic Affairs (Communities) cabinet committee.
	The two Departments work together to ensure that the Government's aims to deliver sustainable improvements in economic performance, and inclusive society, a better environment and better quality of life are achieved. Not only is this work carried forward inter-Departmentally across central Government, but it is undertaken on a day to day basis by the integrated Government offices in each region.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Arms Exports

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what measures are in place to ensure that arms exported from the UK to equip Iraqi security forces are not diverted to other users; and if he will make a statement.

Ian McCartney: All export licence applications are assessed against the consolidated criterion taking account of any information we may hold on the end-user, the criterion specifically require assessment of the risk of diversion. If there is a clear risk that the proposed export would contravene any of the criteria, a licence is refused. In the case of Iraq, where not explicitly exempt, UNSCR 1546 additionally requires certification from the Iraqi Government or the multi-national force assisting it, that the goods are necessary for the purposes of giving effect to UNSCR 1546 and are therefore exempt from the embargo on Iraq.

Defence Contracts

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the total amount of cover outstanding in respect of Government to Government defence contracts since 1991 was in  (a) 2005 and  (b) 2006.

Ian McCartney: On the following dates, the value of Export Credits Guarantee Department (ECGD) cover for Government to Government defence contracts was:
	
		
			  As at 31 March each year:  £ million 
			 2005 856 
			 2006 497

ECGD Costs

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the administrative cost of the Export Credits Guarantee Department was in each year between 2002-03 and 2005-06, broken down into  (a) staff costs,  (b) accommodation costs,  (c) consultancy costs,  (d) IT costs,  (e) external legal costs and  (f) other costs.

Ian McCartney: The Export Credits Guarantee Department's audited administrative costs in each year between 2002-03 and 2004-05 were:
	
		
			  £ million 
			   2002-03  2003-04  2004-05 
			 Staff costs 14.022 14.806 15.157 
			 Accommodation costs 4.282 5.271 4.201 
			 Consultancy costs 1.031 0.833 0.539 
			 IT costs 4.388 5.676 8.580 
			 External legal costs 0.822 0.324 1.081 
			 Other costs 1.620 3.625 1.804 
		
	
	The audited costs for 2005-06 are not yet available.

Gas Storage

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry which local planning authorities his Department has contacted in the last two years to discuss the siting of new strategic gas storage facilities in their areas; what responses have been received from local authorities; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: The Department has written to the following in the last two years regarding the national need for additional gas storage facilities. The county councils of:
	Cheshire
	East Riding of Yorkshire
	Lancashire
	Lincolnshire
	and the borough councils of:
	Redcar and Cleveland
	Stockton on Tees.
	We have received a response from Lancashire county council with some questions arising from the letter that the Department sent to them in April 2004.
	On 16 May, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State, laid the 'Energy Statement of Need for additional gas supply infrastructure' in Parliament encouraging planning professionals and local decision makers to consider the national interest when looking at planning applications.

Nuclear Power Stations

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the recommended decommissioning dates are for each nuclear power station built in the UK; and what the  (a) recommended and  (b) actual decommissioning date was for nuclear power stations that have been decommissioned.

Malcolm Wicks: The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) assumed responsibility for the decommissioning and clean up of the UK's civil nuclear legacy on 1 April 2005. The NDA has four operational Magnox nuclear power stations: Dungeness A, Sizewell A, Oldbury, and Wylfa; and, seven that are being decommissioned: Berkeley, Bradwell, Chapelcross, Calder Hall, Hinkley A, Hunterston A, Trawsfynydd. The recently approved NDA strategy contains the following assumptions of end dates and states, but also signals that the NDA intends to review these in consultation with stakeholders in the near future. Details are as follows:
	
		
			  Non-operational Magnox  Lifetime  End state/date 
			 Berkeley (Gloucestershire) 1962-1989 Delicensed/2083 
			 Bradwell (Essex) 1962-2002 Delicensed/2103 
			 Calder Hall (Cumbria) 1956-2003 Site cleared for delicensing/2117 
			 Chapelcross (Scotland) 1959-2004 Undetermined/2128 
			 Hinkley Point A (Somerset) 1965-2000 Delicensed/2104 
			 Hunterston A (Scotland) 1964-1989 Delicensed/2090 
			 Trawsfynydd (Wales) 1965-1991 Delicensed/2096 
		
	
	
		
			  Operational Magnox  Lifetime/planned closure date  
			 Dungeness A (Kent) 1965-2006/planned to cease generation end 2006 Landscaped/2111 
			 Sizewell A (Suffolk) 1966-2006/planned to cease generation end 2006 Delicensed/2110 
			 Oldbury (Gloucestershire) 1967-2008/planned to cease generation end 2008 Delicensed/2118 
			 Wylfa (Wales) 1971-2010/planned to cease generation end 2010 Brownfield/2125 
		
	
	British Energy (BE) has eight operational power stations (seven advanced gas-cooled reactor (AGR) stations and one pressurised water reactor (PWR)). The following table sets out BE's current estimated dates for station closure (and thereby decommissioning). Any changes to these dates will be a matter for BE, subject to approval from the NDA in certain circumstances: Current proposals are:
	
		
			   Lifetime  Scheduled closure 
			  AGR Stations   
			 Dungeness B (Kent) 35 years 2018 
			 Hinkley Point B (Somerset) 35 years 2011 
			 Hunterston B (Scotland) 35 years 2011 
			 Heysham 1 (Lane's) 30 years 2014 
			 Hartlepool (Teesside) 30 years 2014 
			 Torness (Scotland) 35 years 2023 
			 Heysham 2 (Cleveland) 35 years 2023 
			  PWR Station   
			 Sizewell B (Suffolk) 40 years 2035 
		
	
	The NDA's Strategy is available through its website at: www.nda.gov.uk.

Nuclear Power Stations

Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the impact of a new generation of nuclear power stations on the UK's water supply.

Ian Pearson: I have been asked to reply.
	The option of building new nuclear power stations is still being considered as part of the Government's Energy Review. Any implications for public water supply would be considered as part of the environmental impact assessment for the planning of individual power stations.

OECD Guidelines (Multinationals)

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  what steps his Department has taken to promote the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises;
	(2)  how many UK registered companies have adopted the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises;
	(3)  what steps his Department has taken to co-operate with non-Governmental organisations in the promotion and implementation of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises;
	(4)  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many complaints have been investigated by the UK National Contact Point in each year since 2000; and when each case was  (a) filed and  (b) concluded;
	(5)  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the  (a) nature and  (b) outcome was of each complaint made to the UK National Contact Point in each year since 2000.

Ian McCartney: The Government are committed to the effective promotion and implementation of the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises. For example, on 20 December 2004, the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry wrote to the chairmen of all FTSE 100 companies drawing their attention to the importance of the guidelines and their relevance in developing corporate codes of conduct. The UK's National Contact Point (NCP) for the guidelines also liaises with non-governmental and business organisations on a regular basis, both formally and informally, to discuss the promotion and implementation of the guidelines.
	In September 2005, the Government consulted stakeholders on possible improvements to the NCP's promotion and implementation of the guidelines. We intend to publish a formal response in the near future.
	The guidelines are recommendations addressed by governments to multinational enterprises. They are not adopted, as such, by companies.
	
		
			  Training and Development Expenditure for non departmental public bodies (NDPB's) 
			  
			  Date filed  Complainant  Respondent  Date concluded  Outcome 
			 May 2001 Rights and Accountability in Development (RAID) Binani/Roan Antelope Mining Company Zambia 2001 Discontinued when companies liquidated 
			 February 2002 Citizens for a Better Environment (CBE) Zambia, Afronet Rights and RAID Anglo American plc and Konkoia Mining Company Ongoing  
			 April 2003 RAID and other non-governmental organisations Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline: BP and consortium partners Ongoing  
			 July 2003 CBE National Grid Transco July 2005 Closed by NCP due to lack of evidence from complainant 
			 September 2003 International Union of Food and Allied Workers British American Tobacco (BAT) November 2003 Withdrawn by complainant following BAT's decision to disinvest from Burma 
			 February 2004 UN Panel on the Illegal Exploitation of Natural Resources in the Democratic Republic of Congo De Beers May 2004 NCP concluded the allegations to be unsubstantiated 
			 June 2004 UN Panel on the Illegal Exploitation of Natural Resources in the Democratic Republic of Congo; RAID Orys Natural Resources June 2005 NCP drew the attention of the company to the provisions of Chapter II (general policies) of the Guidelines 
			 June 2004 UN Panel on the Illegal Exploitation of Natural Resources in the Democratic Republic of Congo Avient September 2004 NCP drew the attention of the company to the provisions of Chapter II (general policies) of the Guidelines 
			 June 2004 UN Panel on the Illegal Exploitation of Natural Resources in the Democratic Republic of Congo; RAID DAS Air Ongoing  
			 November 2004 RAID Alfred Knight Ongoing  
			 May 2005 Corner House BAE Systems, Airbus, Rolls Royce April 2006 Withdrawn by complainant following changes to ECGS's anti-bribery and corruption procedures

Offshore Petroleum Licensing

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to the Answer of 23 May 2006,  Official Report, columns 1635-36W on Offshore Petroleum Licensing; if he will publish the results of the Appropriate Assessment into the 24(th) Licensing Round; and what applications have been made in the 24(th) Round of offshore petroleum licensing for production consents for field developments in the Cardigan Bay area.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 13 June 2006
	As of 13 June 2006, two 24(th) Round licence applications have been received—neither are for acreage in the Cardigan Bay area. However the Round is open to applications until 16 June 2006. Once the Appropriate Assessment for the Round has been completed we will take a decision on whether to publish the results. In any event, the results of this and any other necessary Appropriate Assessments relating to the Round will be available on request.
	Also, as indicated in my Answer of 23 May 2006,  Official Report, columns 1635-36W, drilling and production consents are not part of the licence award and have to be sought separately from the Department at a later stage and are subject to further environmental scrutiny.

Secured Debt Financial Products

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether his Department is taking steps to restrict celebrity endorsement of secured debt financial products.

Ian McCartney: The laws concerning the advertising of financial products have recently undergone a thorough review. While they do not specifically deal with celebrity endorsement of products, the Consumer Credit (Advertisements) Regulations 2004 provide that advertisements must be clear, fair and not misleading. In the case of a loan secured on a debtor's home, that advertisement must include a health warning regarding the consequences of not keeping up with repayments. Rules emanating from the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000, under which first charge mortgages are regulated, contain similar provisions concerning financial promotions.

MINISTER FOR WOMEN

Civil Service Pensions

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality if she will make a statement on equality of pensions in the civil service.

Patrick McFadden: I have been asked to reply.
	The Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme (PCSPS) is a final salary scheme. Benefits are worked out as a proportion of final pensionable earnings multiplied by years of service. Men and women have paid the same level of contributions and received benefits calculated on the same basis, including contingent dependants' benefits, in respect of service from 1 July 1987. To the extent that they have consistent career and salary patterns, the pension scheme therefore provides equal benefits.
	New entrants to the civil service since October 2002 have, as an alternative to joining the PCSPS, been eligible to join partnership, a stakeholder pension arrangement, providing benefits on a money purchase basis. Employer contributions to partnership are between 3 per cent. and 12.5 per cent. of pensionable earnings based on the member's age but regardless of gender. Employers also match employee contributions up to 3 per cent. of pensionable earnings.
	In addition amendments to the rules of the PCSPS will be laid before the House before the summer recess. These amendments will ensure that the pension arrangements do not discriminate on the grounds of age without any objective justification.

DUCHY OF LANCASTER

Public Sector Information

Don Foster: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many public information programmes have been broadcast since 1997, broken down by commissioning Department; and how much such programmes cost  (a) to produce and  (b) to screen.

Patrick McFadden: There have been 436 public information films produced since 1997. The numbers of public information films broken down by commissioning Department are shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Public information films produced since 1997 
			  Client  Number 
			 Charity Commission 1 
			 Countryside Agency 6 
			 Countryside Agency for Wales 1 
			 Department of Communities and Local Government 22 
			 Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 29 
			 Department for Education and Skills 25 
			 Department for Transport 36 
			 Department for Work and Pensions 20 
			 Department of Health 48 
			 Department for Trade and Industry 63 
			 Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency 7 
			 Electoral Commission 2 
			 Energy Savings Trust 33 
			 Experience Corps 2 
			 Financial Services Agency 1 
			 Food Standards Agency 2 
			 Foreign and Commonwealth Office 25 
			 Health and Safety Executive 1 
			 Highways Agency 2 
			 HM Revenue and Customs 10 
			 Home Office 18 
			 London 2012 6 
			 Maritime and Coastguard Agency 4 
			 National Statistics 2 
			 NHS Blood and Transplant 46 
			 Office of Fair Trading 1 
			 Scotland National Blood TS 1 
			 Tidy Britain Group 2 
			 University for Industry 3 
			 Victim Support 1 
			 Water UK 1 
			 Welsh Assembly Government 15 
			 Total (since 1997) 436 
		
	
	Production of a public information film costs approximately £60,284 (based on an average of all public information films produced during the last three years).
	Screening costs for a public information film are: broadcast tape copies, £2,500; annual marketing of film to broadcasters, £7,650; and airtime, free of charge.
	We expect a public information film to recoup both production and marketing costs in equivalent airtime value within the first three months in circulation.

Public Sector Information

Don Foster: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster at what times of day public information programmes have been scheduled in each of the past three years.

Patrick McFadden: The Central Office of Information (COI) is not responsible for scheduling public information films. They are scheduled in donated airtime at the discretion of broadcasters. The COI does, however, promote the usage of public information films to broadcasters, requesting relevant time slots and programming environments, where possible.
	In each of the past three years, public information films have been shown on broadcast television in ratios shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Time  Percentage of films shown  Number of transmissions 
			  April 2003 to March 2004   
			 Breakfast (6.00-9.29) 14 14,705 
			 Morning (9.30-11.59) 10 10,938 
			 Afternoon (12.00-17.14) 16 17,107 
			 Evening (17.15-23.59) 18 19,045 
			 Night time (00.01-5.59) 40 4,261 
			
			  April 2004 to March 2005   
			 Breakfast (6.00-9.29) 14 18,345 
			 Morning (9.30-11.59) 13 16,575 
			 Afternoon (12.00-17.14) 23 30,570 
			 Evening (17.15-23.59) 27 35,751 
			 Night-time (00.01-5.59) 23 30,039 
			
			  April 2005 to March 2006   
			 Breakfast (6.00-9.29) 13 25,221 
			 Morning (9.30-11.59) 11 21,505 
			 Afternoon (12.00-17.14) 27 50,961 
			 Evening (17.15-23.59) 28 51,818 
			 Night time (00.01-5.59) 20 38,099

Public Sector Information

Don Foster: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what discussions her Department has had with public service broadcasters on the  (a) screening and  (b) scheduling of public information films; and if she will make a statement.

Patrick McFadden: The Central Office of Information (COI) meets with public service and commercial broadcasters regularly to discuss both the screening and scheduling of public information films. COI also maintains regular contact with broadcast contacts via telephone, e-mail and via a monthly paper and electronic newsletter, which highlights the availability of material or related statistics to support the case for transmission. There is an online catalogue to facilitate broadcasters' selection of appropriate materials for slots they have available.
	In the last three years, this activity has resulted in 2,127,007 transmissions, across 122 different television channels, in airtime worth an estimated £75,335,000 (based on average ITV station rate card).
	Additionally, the COI also targets owners of out-of-home media. For example the 5-A-DAY campaign was screened free of charge on "Tesco TV", in shopping centres including Trafford Centre, Lakeside and Metro Centre, gyms such as Holmes Place, Cannons and David Lloyd and some doctors' surgeries. Out-of-home ratecard airtime value was estimated at £1.5 million for this film.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Administration Estimate

Andrew Dismore: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission pursuant to the Answer of 25 May 2006 to Question 73851, how much was spent from the administration estimate on clothing and uniforms for  (a) Clerks at the Table,  (b) Serjeants at Arms and  (c) the Secretary and Assistant Secretary to the Speaker in each of the last 3 years; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Harvey: The information requested is as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
			   Clerks at the Table  Serjeants at Arms  Speaker's Office 
			 2003-04 3,658 8,773 6,483 
			 2004-05 5,802 17,343 4,828 
			 2005-06 4,016 13,507 7,267 
			  Note: These figures include the uniform allowance for the Assistant Secretary to the Speaker.

Dining Facilities

John Mann: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission 
	(1)  what guidance has been issued to hon. Members on the use of House dining room facilities for party political fundraising;
	(2)  on how many occasions in the last 10 years a booking for dining room  (a) A,  (b) B,  (c) C and  (d) D has been refused due to the intention of the sponsor to use the booking for party political fundraising.

Nick Harvey: The Banqueting Regulations, which are issued to all Members at the time of booking, state that the private dining rooms
	"are not to be used for direct financial or material gain by a Sponsor, political party, or any other person or outside organisation".
	The banqueting booking confirmation requires Members to state whether they have a declarable interest relating to their sponsorship of the function and, if the interest is not registered, to provide details. Members in any doubt about the need to register an interest are given further guidance in paragraph 4.4 of the Banqueting Regulations, which states that
	"any Sponsor in doubt about the requirements to declare any interest should consult the Parliamentary Commission for Standards".
	Furthermore, the Code of Conduct for Members, as approved by the House on 13 July 2005, provides that:
	"Members shall at all times ensure that their use of expenses, allowances, facilities and services provided from the public purse is strictly in accordance with the rules laid down on these matters, and that they observe any limits placed by the House on the use of such expenses, allowances, facilities and services".
	No record is kept of advice provided to Members when enquiring about the use of the private dining rooms, and so there is no record of any booking being refused due to the intention of the sponsor to use the booking for party political fundraising.

Refreshment Department

David Drew: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission what information the Refreshment Department collects on the quantity of  (a) organic food and  (b) food sourced within 50 miles of London for use in the House of Commons dining rooms.

Nick Harvey: The Refreshment Department can generally identify from its purchasing records the quantity and value of organic meat, poultry, fish, fruit and vegetables purchased over the past year, and the quantity and value of some organic grocery and counter-line products readily identifiable as organic (for example, certain brands of sandwiches, salads, yoghurts, biscuits, cakes, etc.). However, the Department does not keep a comprehensive list that specifically identifies the quantity of all organic foods used. No record is kept of the quantity of food sourced within 50 miles of London.

Spoiled Pre-paid Envelopes

Andrew Dismore: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission pursuant to the Answer to Question 74325, if he will  (a) take steps to remind users that the House can recover the cost of postage of spoiled pre-paid envelopes and  (b) make visible collection points available for such envelopes; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Harvey: The Serjeant at Arms leaflet entitled "Stationery post paid envelopes and the use of the crowned portcullis" asks Members to send back spoilt envelopes to the Postmaster. A notice will be placed in the All Party Whip as a reminder. It would not be practicable to provide collection points as the incidence of spoilt envelopes is likely to be small.

Tours

Andrew Dismore: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission how many tours of the Palace each hon. Member has requested in the last 12 months.

Nick Harvey: Between June 2005 and May 2006 inclusive, 7,374 tours ran for 620 Members of the House of Commons. By mixing smaller groups together (up to each tour slot's maximum capacity of 20), this accommodated 7,911 Member groups. The highest number of tour slots supplied to an individual Member was 89. It is not the practice to publish details of the use made by individual Members of such facilities.

Works of Art Collection

Norman Baker: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission how many works of art from the Works of Art Collection have been reported  (a) missing and  (b) stolen in each year since 1997; and what their estimated value was in each case.

Nick Harvey: There have been no reports of missing or stolen works of art in the House of Commons since 1997. The Parliamentary Art Collection (Lords and Commons) has approximately 7,500 works of art, spread widely throughout the parliamentary estate. Some 5,000 are currently recorded as being within the House of Commons buildings.

NORTHERN IRELAND

999 Calls

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many emergency 999 calls were made in Northern Ireland in the last year, broken down by emergency service requested.

Paul Goggins: The numbers of emergency 999 calls received by emergency services in Northern Ireland in the last calendar year was as follows:
	
		
			   Calendar year 2005 
			 Fire 52,430 
			 Ambulance 116,635 
			 Police 94,916 
			 Total 263,981

Alcohol Consumption

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps his Department plans to take in response to the recent report by the European Commission which identified Ireland as having the fifth highest consumption of alcohol per person in the EU.

Paul Goggins: There are no comparable figures for Northern Ireland as currently such data are collected and presented on a UK basis. The Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety in Northern Ireland launched the New Strategic Direction for Alcohol and Drugs 2006-11 on 8 May 2006. It contains a number of regional and local outcomes aimed at reducing the overall level of harm caused by alcohol in Northern Ireland, including reducing the level of binge drinking and the amount of under-age drinking.

Ambulance Service

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of  (a) the facilities and  (b) the extent of ambulance cover in the Strabane district council area in each of the last three years; and whether ambulance service staff usually employed in the Strabane area have been redeployed to Derry since the opening of the new Northland Road base.

Paul Goggins: Ambulance cover in the Strabane district council area is provided from stations in Strabane and Castlederg. A 2004-05 Estate Appraisal, carried out by the Health Estates Agency, identified the need for separate male and female facilities at Strabane ambulance station and some minor alterations at Castlederg ambulance station. The Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS) is currently making arrangements to carry out this work.
	During the last three years, ambulance cover has been provided as follows:
	
		
			   Days 
			  Strabane Ambulance Station  
			 08.00 to 20.00 hours (1 A and E crew) Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday 
			 08.00 to 20.00 hours cover provided from Altnagelvin Thursday 
			 20.00 to 08.00 hours (1 A and E crew) Monday to Sunday 
			   
			  Castlederg Ambulance Station  
			 08.00 to 17.00 hours (1 A and E crew) Monday to Saturday 
			 17.00 to 23.00 hours (cover provided by Strabane and Omagh stations) Monday to Saturday 
			 08.00 to 23.00 hours (cover provided by Strabane and Omagh stations) Sunday 
			 23.00 to 08.00 hours (1 A and E crew) Monday to Sunday 
		
	
	No ambulance crews have been redeployed from the Strabane or Castlederg ambulance stations to stations in Derry. Cover at the new Northland Road deployment point is provided by Altnagelvin Ambulance Station crews. As NIAS deploys ambulance resources dynamically to match predicted and actual demand, Strabane or Castlederg ambulances may respond to incidents in Derry. However, control staff ensure that time spent by crews away from their base station is kept to a minimum.

Benefit Payments

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what proportion of Social Security Agency customers have their benefits paid  (a) directly into a bank or building society account,  (b) via a Post Office card account,  (c) by cheque and  (d) in cash.

David Hanson: The information requested (at March 2006) is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Method of payment  Percentage of social security agency customers 
			 Direct payment into a bank or building society account 58.8 
			 Via a Post Office card account 37.7 
			 Cheque payment 3.5 
			 Cash ? 
			 Total 100

Benefit Payments

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the levels were of  (a) fraud and  (b) overall incorrect payment by the Northern Ireland Social Security Agency (i) income support, (ii) jobseeker's allowance, (iii) disability living allowance, (iv) incapacity benefit, (v) carer's allowance and (vi) retirement pension in 2005-06 (A) in monetary terms and (B) as a percentage of the total expenditure in each benefit programme.

David Hanson: The Social Security Agency now reports its findings based on calendar years. The following tables set out the information requested for the 2005 reporting year (January 2005 to December 2005).
	
		
			  Customer fraud 
			   2005( 1)  (£ million)  Percentage of expenditure 
			 Income support 11. 3 2.4 
			 Jobseeker's allowance 2.8 3.0 
			 Disability living allowance 4.6 0.8 
			 Incapacity benefit 3. 5 1.1 
			 Carer's allowance 5. 6 6.7 
			 Retirement pension(2) Minimal — 
		
	
	
		
			  Overall incorrectness (including fraud) 
			   2005( 1)  (£ million)  Percentage of expenditure 
			 Income support 25. 6 5.4 
			 Jobseeker's allowance 4. 1 4.4 
			 Disability living allowance 54. 7 9.5 
			 Incapacity benefit 13. 8 4.3 
			 Carer's allowance 7.5 9.0 
			 Retirement pension(2) 9. 2 0.8 
			 (1 )January to December 2005  (2 )This includes bereavement benefit

Child Abuse

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many children were admitted to hospital in Northern Ireland with injuries that gave rise to subsequent investigations for abuse in the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: Information is not collected centrally in the format requested. However, information is collected on the number of child protection referrals to social services where the source of referral is categorised as "hospital". The number of such referrals is shown in the following table for the financial years 2002-03 to 2004-05. The number of referrals does not equate to the number of children referred, as a child may be referred more than once during the financial year.
	
		
			  Child protection referrals from hospital source 
			   Number 
			 2002-03 115 
			 2003-04 119 
			 2004-05 96 
		
	
	All children and young people who are seen by hospital staff will be managed in accordance with the regional Child Protection Policy and Procedures guidance issued by the Health and Social Services Board Area Child Protection Committees.
	All hospital staff have access to the child protection register and there would be an expectation that appropriate checks would be made where there are concerns about any child.

Child Support Agency

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much money was classed by the Northern Ireland Child Support Agency as probably uncollectable during the financial year 2005-06.

David Hanson: The figure of probably uncollectable debt as at 31 March 2006 is £36,845,910, a reduction in the financial year 2005-06 of £2,084,496.
	It is to be noted that the agency's annual accounts are still subject to audit and will not be laid before both the House of Commons and the Northern Ireland Assembly until July. Following this, the report will be available in the public domain.

Children in Care

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the change was in the average number of children in care in Northern Ireland between 1995 and 2005.

Paul Goggins: Information is not collected centrally on the average number of children in care; however, the number of children in care at 31 March 2006 each year is collected and this is detailed in Table 1 below annually from 1995 to 2005, the latest year for which information is available.
	Column 1 of table 1 details the year to which the information relates, column 2 the numbers of children in care on 31 March for that year, column 3 shows the numbers of children in care per 10,000 of the population aged under 18, and column 4 details the year to year percentage change in the numbers of children in care at 31 March 2006.
	
		
			  Table 1: Number of children in care in Northern Ireland, 1995 to 2005 
			   Number of children in care at 31 March 2006  Rate per 10,000 population  Percentage from previous year 
			 1995 2,624 56.2  
			 1996 2,625 56.2 0.0 
			 1997 2,431 52.1 -7.4 
			 1998 2,354 50.8 -3.2 
			 1999 2,324 50.5 -1.3 
			 2000 2,422 53.1 4.2 
			 2001 2,414 53.6 -0.3 
			 2002 2,453 54.8 1.6 
			 2003 2,446 55.3 -0.3 
			 2004 2,510 57.4 2.6 
			 2005 2,531 57.9 0.8

Children in Care

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the change was in the average number of children in care in reported missing for periods of more than 24 hours between 1995 and 2005.

Paul Goggins: Information on the number of children in care reported missing for periods of more than 24 hours is not collected centrally. However a consultative document produced in 1998 entitled "Children Matter: A regional view of residential child care services in Northern Ireland" details the number of untoward incidents recorded in Northern Ireland during the period 31 March and 30 September 1997. It reports a total of 488 incidents of absconding recorded during that period, of which 227 related to periods of 24 hours or more.
	An extract from table 4 of "Children Matter: A regional view of residential child care services in Northern Ireland" is shown as follows.
	
		
			  Untoward incidents recorded between 31 March and 30 September 1997 
			  Nature of untoward incident  Vol and stat homes  Regional centres  Total 
			  Absconding
			 Under 24 hours 115 146 261 
			 24 hours plus 126 101 227 
			 Total 241 247 488

Classroom Assistants

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many classroom assistants are employed in each  (a) controlled,  (b) maintained,  (c) integrated and  (d) Irish medium secondary school in the Western education and library board area.

Maria Eagle: The total number of classroom assistants employed in each type of secondary school in the Western education and library board area is as follows:
	
		
			  Number 
			 Controlled 60 
			 Maintained 145 
			 Controlled integrated 41 
			 Grant-maintained integrated 43 
			 Irish Medium 0

Clinical Trials

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the hospitals in Northern Ireland in which clinical trials take place; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: All hospitals in Northern Ireland can potentially carry out clinical trials of medicinal products as long as the chief investigator has successfully completed the Research Governance Process including having a favourable ethical opinion from a recognised NHS/HPSS Research Ethics Committee (Ref: UK Clinical Trials Regulation (2004)).
	Since February 2004 and the establishment of the HPSS Research Ethics Committees (RECs), 21 Northern Ireland-based clinical trials of investigational medicinal products have been given a favourable ethical opinion. The trials are occurring in the following hospital trusts:
	
		
			   Number of trials 
			 Royal Group of Hospitals HSS Trust 11 
			 Belfast City Hospital HSS Trust 5 
			 Greenpark Healthcare HSS Trust (primarily Musgrave Park Hospital) 3 
			 Craigavon Area Hospital Group HSS Trust 1 
			 Ulster Community and Hospitals HSS Trust 1 
		
	
	I fully support the work of the HPSS RECs and the Office for Research Ethics Committees in Northern Ireland (ORECNI) in their mission to maintain a Research Ethics Service to protect the rights, dignity and welfare of research participants within the HPSS/NHS, and to protect the rights of researchers to perform ethical research and legitimate investigation.

Departmental Finance

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much was redistributed through resource-releasing savings  (a) by each Northern Ireland Department, agency and non-Departmental public body and  (b) in total during 2005-06; and if he will make a statement.

David Hanson: Targets for resource-releasing savings for each Department were set in the course of the Priorities and Budget 2005-08 process, with the relevant amounts being redistributed at that time.
	The following table summarises the targets for each Department, with the amount specified covering the core Department, its agencies and non-Departmental public bodies. Efficiency technical notes, outlining how Departments intend to deliver their efficiency targets, are available on departmental websites.
	Outturn information in respect of the efficiencies delivered in 2005-06 is not yet available.
	
		
			  Efficiency gains identified by NI Departments 
			  £ million 
			   2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			   Total efficiencies  Of which:  resource-releasing  Total efficiencies  Of which:  resource-releasing  Total efficiencies  Of which:  resource-releasing 
			 DARD 6.8 3.4 13.8 6.9 21.0 10.5 
			 DCAL 2.6 1.3 5.2 2.6 7.9 4.0 
			 DE 46.4 20.7 81.2 41.9 120.0 63.6 
			 DEL 18.3 8.6 36.4 17.3 53.0 26.3 
			 DETI 8.2 3.7 14.4 7.0 20.6 10.9 
			 DFP 3.9 1.0 8.7 5.7 16.2 11.7 
			 DHSSPS 78.3 43.3 156.7 81.7 239.2 124.2 
			 DOE 3.7 1.8 7.1 3.6 10.3 5.6 
			 DRD 24.1 17.8 39.1 30.3 48.5 39.4 
			 DSD 13.6 6.8 27.5 13.8 49.5 35.7 
			 OFMDFM 2.1 1.7 2.6 2.4 2.7 2.4 
			 FSA 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 
			 Total 208.0 110.1 392.9 213.4 588.8 334.4

Deprivation

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps have been taken to address the deprivation identified by the Northern Ireland Department of Finance and Personnel on 26 May 2005 in the Drumgask, Drumnamoe, Corcrain, Drumgor and Court areas of Craigavon.

David Hanson: Drumgask, Drumnamoe, Corcrain, Drumgor and Court areas in Craigavon were identified by the Northern Ireland Measures of Deprivation (New Noble Index) as being in the 10 per cent. most deprived urban areas in Northern Ireland.
	The Government's main strategy for tackling areas of high urban deprivation is neighbourhood renewal and three local Neighbourhood Partnerships have been established in the Craigavon borough council area to help take forward the strategy in the areas that have been identified as deprived. The Drumgask and Drumgor areas are covered by the Brownlow Partnership; the Court and Drumnanoe areas are covered by the Lurgan Partnership and the Corcrain area is covered by the Portadown Partnership.
	All three partnerships are currently working in consultation with interested parties to develop a vision framework and action plan that will set out in detail the programmes and activities needed to address deprivation and improve services. Local consultation is expected to take place later this year.

Early Years Services

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how the additional £1.2 million announced on 26 May 2005 to maintain front-line early years services in Northern Ireland was spent; and how much remained unspent.

Paul Goggins: On 26 May 2005, my predecessor, the Under-Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, the hon. Member for St. Helens, South (Mr. Woodward), announced an additional £1.2 million to support projects previously funded under 'Peace Measure 2.5—Investing in Childcare'.
	Projects were invited to apply for this funding and had to demonstrate that they met the criteria in providing direct services to children in areas of low provision where the service is critical to provision in that area; or services that have targeted provision for ethnic minorities, traveller children and children with a disability.
	In 2005-06 £1.2 million has been committed to 128 successful projects, and all funds have been fully utilised.

Head Teacher Vacancies

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many vacancies of principals of more than two months there were in secondary level schools in the  (a) controlled and  (b) maintained sectors in Northern Ireland during 2005.

Maria Eagle: The education and library boards and the Council for Catholic Maintained Schools have advised that all principal vacancies during 2005 were filled immediately. If there is a delay in a principal taking up duty, the vice principal is required to undertake the role of acting principal in accordance with the terms of employment of the vice principal.

Hospital Waiting Times

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what proportion of patients in Northern Ireland waiting for elective admission to trauma and orthopaedics were seen in  (a) under three months and  (b) under 12 months during (i) 2004-05 and (ii) 2005-06.

Paul Goggins: The proportion of in-patients waiting for elective admission (ordinary admission or day case treatment) in the trauma and orthopaedics specialty that were seen during 2004-05 and 2005-06 in an NHS hospital in Northern Ireland in  (a) under three months and  (b) under 12 months is provided in the following table:
	
		
			   Proportion of in-patients waiting for elective admission in the trauma and orthopaedics specialty that were seen in an NHS hospital in Northern Ireland in: 
			   Under 3 months  Under 12 months 
			 2004-05 41.3 76.1 
			 2005-06 38.6 81.5 
		
	
	Waiting time is calculated from the original date the decision to admit was made to the actual admission date. Data include in-patients who were medically deferred while waiting and in-patients who self-deferred or did not turn up for a previously arranged admission date.

Housing

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to the answer of 4 May 2006,  Official Report, columns 1818-20W, on housing, what assessment he has made of community differentials in the allocation of housing in  (a) Northern Ireland and  (b) Belfast; and if he will make a statement.

David Hanson: No assessment is made as housing is allocated on the basis of need through the Common Selection Scheme and not on the basis of community affiliation.

Knives

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many incidents of stabbings with knives have occurred in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years.

David Hanson: The following table provides PSNI statistics on knife crime incidents over the past five years. The incidents are sorted by the recorded crime categories used by the police. While it is known that a knife was used in all incidents recorded below, it is not possible to indicate how the knife was used.
	Clearly the categories of murder and attempted murder refer to the most serious incidents. While the overall incidents of use of a knife in crime rose last year, the number of murders and attempted murders reduced.
	A knife amnesty and media campaign is currently in place. In early autumn an educational package will be introduced into schools and legislation giving powers to increase the minimum age for buying a knife will be introduced. I am hopeful that these actions will impact on these figures and we will see a reduction in knife related crimes this year.
	
		
			  Crime type  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 Class 1: Offences against the person 350 369 368 394 430 
			 Murder 12 12 2 10 8 
			 Attempted murder 15 20 22 32 27 
			 Assaults 283 275 292 214 320 
			   
			 Class 2: Sexual offences 8 4 7 4 13 
			   
			 Class 3: Burglary 25 30 39 26 19 
			   
			 Class 4: Robbery 365 431 324 265 359 
			   
			 Class 5: Theft 33 12 21 19 22 
			   
			 Class 6: Fraud and forgery 0 0 0 0 0 
			   
			 Class 7: Criminal damage 148 67 129 161 121 
			   
			 Class 8: Offences against the state 85 71 90 131 165 
			 Possessing offensive weapon 85 71 90 131 165 
			   
			 Class 9: Other notifiable offences 2 2 7 0 1 
			   
			 Total crime 1,016 986 985 1,000 1,130

Medication (Sell-by Dates)

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps are taken by pharmacies in Northern Ireland to ensure that  (a) over-the-counter drugs,  (b) alternative medicines and  (c) prescription medicines are all within their sell by dates; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: A pharmacist is required to conform to all the legal controls pertaining to the quality, safety and efficacy of medicines, whether prescription or over- the-counter. In addition his/her professional standards of ethics and practice require him/her to ensure that dispensed products are in date.
	This is also the case in relation to homeopathic or herbal medicines. However, many alternative therapies are not licensed medicines and are, therefore, subject to the laws governing foods.

National Insurance Numbers

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 
	(1)  how many applications for National Insurance numbers made in Northern Ireland have been refused in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how many applications for National Insurance numbers made in Northern Ireland have been refused as the result of an immigration check in each of the last five years.

David Hanson: The information is outlined in the following table.
	
		
			  National Insurance number applications refused 
			  Financial year  Number 
			 2001-02 Not available 
			 2002-03 562 
			 2003-04 731 
			 2004-05 1,015 
			 2005-06 2,158 
		
	
	Information on applications refused as a result of an immigration check is not available.

National Stadium

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many discussions officials from  (a) his office and  (b) the strategic investment board have had with (i) Lisburn city council, (ii) Belfast city council and (iii) other local authorities on the proposals for a new national stadium.

Maria Eagle: Officials from the Department of Culture Art and Leisure (DCAL) and the strategic investment board (SIB) have had one formal meeting with Belfast city council specifically on the proposal for a new multi-sports stadium. In addition SIB officials have had several informal discussions with Belfast city council officials. There have been no discussions between officials from either my office or SIB with Lisburn city council or other local authorities on the same issue.

NHS Finances

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what NHS trusts in Northern Ireland are currently in financial deficit; and what the size of each deficit is.

Paul Goggins: Final audited and approved 2005-06 accounts for the 19 health and personal social services (HPSS) trusts will not be available until August 2006. However, based on projections as at 31 March, only one trust, Sperrin Lakeland, is forecasting a deficit. The forecast is £90,000, which is treated by the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety as being within an acceptable margin of break even as it represents only 0.06 per cent. of the trust's 2005-06 income.

Planning Applications

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many  (a) residential,  (b) commercial and  (c) industrial planning applications were (i) received and (ii) decided by the planning service in Northern Ireland in (A) 2004-05 and (B) 2005-06.

David Cairns: The number of  (a) residential,  (b) commercial and  (c) industrial planning applications that were (i) received and (ii) decided by the Planning Service in Northern Ireland in (A) 2004-05 and (B) 2005-06 are in the following table.
	
		
			   Valid applications received  Decisions issued 
			  Category  2004-05  2005-06  2004-05  2005-06 
			 Commercial 2,892 2,947 2,407 2,579 
			 Industrial 1,354 1,356 987 1,312 
			 Residential 29,132 28,798 22,043 24,583 
			 Total 33,378 33,101 25,437 28,474 
			  Note: There is no direct correlation between the number of planning applications received and the number of decisions issued .

Planning Applications

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what proportion of residential planning applications in Northern Ireland was processed to decision or withdrawal within 14 weeks in the last period for which figures are available.

David Cairns: In the fiscal year 2005-06 the proportion of residential applications processed by the planning service within 14 weeks to decision or withdrawal was 29.77 per cent.

Planning Applications

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what proportion of planning applications in Northern Ireland was processed to decision or withdrawal within 15 weeks in the last period for which figures are available.

David Cairns: In the fiscal year 2005-06 the proportion of applications processed by the planning service within 15 weeks to decision or withdrawal was 33.11 per cent.

Planning Applications

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what average time was taken by the planning service to process planning applications in the most recent period for which figures are available.

David Cairns: In the fiscal year 2005-06 the average time to process planning applications by the planning service was 31.04 weeks.

Planning Applications

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the conclusions were of the planning service's 2005-06 Customer Satisfaction Survey.

David Cairns: The 2005-06 customer survey of applicants/agents has just recently been completed and results are currently being analysed. I will write to the hon. Member to advise him of the results when they become available.

Planning Applications

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what proportion of industrial applications were processed by the planning service to decision or withdrawal within 17 weeks in the last period for which figures are available.

David Cairns: In the fiscal year 2005-06 the proportion of industrial applications processed by the planning service within 17 weeks to decision or withdrawal was 40.01 per cent.

Planning Applications

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what proportion of commercial applications were processed by the planning service to decision or withdrawal within 18 weeks in the last period for which figures are available.

David Cairns: In the fiscal year 2005-06 the proportion of commercial applications processed by the planning service within 18 weeks to decision or withdrawal was 42.65 per cent.

Somme Commemoration

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether he plans to hold events in Northern Ireland to mark the 90(th) anniversary of the Battle of the Somme.

Maria Eagle: The award winning exhibition "Conflict: The Irish at War" opened in December 2003 and will be on display until the museum's closure for redevelopment at the end of August. The exhibition incorporates artefacts and stories associated with the experience of Ulstermen at the Somme in 1916.
	The Ulster Museum has also advised and contributed to a major exhibition marking the Battle at the Historial de la grand Guerre Chateaux in Peronne, France.
	The Government will be represented at the service of remembrance at the cenotaph in Belfast by Lord Rooker who will lay a wreath.
	The Secretary of State will attend the annual commemoration of the Battle of the Somme at the Ulster Tower in France on 1 July.

Sustainable Energy

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many households in Northern Ireland have requested Northern Ireland Electricity to supply them with eco energy in each of the last two years.

Maria Eagle: Northern Ireland Electricity has confirmed the following figures for the number of customers on their eco energy tariff:
	
		
			  As at March each year:  Customers 
			 2005 14,024 
			 2006 18,207

Vaccines

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many MMR vaccines the Department of Health and Social Services has committed to purchasing for use in Northern Ireland for 2006-07 and 2007-08.

Paul Goggins: The Department of Health (London) purchases stocks of MMR vaccine under the national childhood vaccine contract to meet the needs of the entire UK vaccination programme. Northern Ireland participates in this national contract and HPSS trusts purchase supplies of MMR vaccine as required to meet local needs. Vaccine is purchased on a demand basis from UK stocks based on previous usage. Therefore Northern Ireland has not committed to purchase any firm quantity of MMR vaccine for 2006-07 and 2007-08 but will purchase vaccine to meet the needs of the vaccination programme.

Waterside Health Centre

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the expected final cost to public funds is of the design, preparation and build of the new Waterside Health Centre in Londonderry.

Paul Goggins: The development of the new Waterside Health Centre, Distillery Brae, is being taken forward independently by three GP practices in the area. The full use of the building has yet to be confirmed, but, as part of the development, Foyle Health and Social Services Trust has agreed to utilise the third floor of the building in order to provide a range of essential local health services. The cost of the design, preparation and fit-out for this floor will fall to Foyle HSS Trust and is estimated to be £927,417.
	
		
			  Level 3  £ 
			 Design 79,299 
			 Fit-out 848,118 
			 Total 927,417

SOLICITOR-GENERAL

Child Sexual Abuse (Northern Ireland)

Lady Hermon: To ask the Solicitor-General what criteria are used by the Public Prosecution Service of Northern Ireland in deciding whether to prosecute those found guilty of sexual abuse against children; and how many such prosecutions there have been in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years.

Mike O'Brien: All prosecution decisions are reached in accordance with the provisions of the Code for Prosecutors in that there must be sufficient evidence to afford a reasonable prospect of a conviction and prosecution must be in the public interest. The Public Prosecution Service takes all allegations of sexual abuse very seriously and an indication of the factors that are required to be considered in reaching decisions are set out in the Code.
	The following table sets out the figures requested for prosecutions in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years.
	
		
			   Crown court  Magistrates court 
			 2001-02 14 2 
			 2002-03 32 7 
			 2003-04 43 9 
			 2004-05 75 7 
			 2005-06 69 7 
			 Total 233 32

CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

Antisocial Behaviour (York)

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs 
	(1)  what representations she has received from the City of York council scrutiny board on the role of the courts in prosecuting repeat offenders of anti social behaviour resulting from alcohol and drug abuse;
	(2)  if she will meet the City of York council scrutiny board to discuss  (a) reasons for anti social behaviour in York and  (b) means of reducing and eliminating such anti social behaviour;
	(3)  if she will meet the courts service in York to discuss the conclusions of the City of York scrutiny board review of drug and alcohol-related anti social behaviour in the city.

Harriet Harman: A letter to the Home Office from the Chief Executive of the City of York council, enclosing the 'Final Report and Recommendations of the Economic Development and Community Safety Scrutiny Board' on alcohol and drug-related anti-social behaviour, was received by the Department for Constitutional Affairs on 1 June 2006. A response will be sent shortly. If asked, I will meet with the City of York council scrutiny board and representatives of the court service in York to discuss the reasons for anti social behaviour in York and the means of reducing and eliminating such anti social behaviour.

Coroners (Oxfordshire)

Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the names were of the deputy coroners employed by Oxfordshire county council in 2003; and what the dates were of their service.

Harriet Harman: The deputy coroner for Oxfordshire in 2003 was Dorothy Margaret Flood. The assistant deputy coroner for Oxfordshire in 2003 was Dr. Richard Michael Whittington. They were appointed in 1997 and 2000 respectively and both continue in these appointments.

Courthouses

Bob Russell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs pursuant to the answer of 22 May 2006,  Official Report, column 1469W, on courthouses, which consortium or company holds the equity of the Essex magistrates court.

Harriet Harman: Currently no consortium or company holds equity in the Essex magistrates court scheme as this only occurs at contract close which is unlikely to be reached until early 2009.

Courts Administration

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many times a prisoner changed legal team due to a change in the court where the trial was held in each year from 2000 to 2005.

Harriet Harman: This information is not held centrally and to obtain it would incur disproportionate cost.

Departmental Staff

David Simpson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many and what percentage of staff in her Department are making additional voluntary contributions to their pension.

Vera Baird: Members of the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme (PCSPS) can pay additional contributions to top up their pension either through the Civil Service Additional Voluntary Contributions Scheme (CSAVCS), a money purchase arrangement, or by buying added years of service in the PCSPS. As an alternative to membership of the PCSPS recruits from 1 October 2002 have been able to join a stakeholder arrangement, the partnership pension account.
	The number and percentage of staff in the Department for Constitutional Affairs who are making additional voluntary contributions to their pension as at 1 June 2006 are shown in the table.
	
		
			   Number  Percentage 
			 CSAVCs 333 1.08 
			 Added years 445 1.45 
			 Partnership 122 0.4

Disability Access

David Simpson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs whether any building in her Department falls short of disability access regulations.

Vera Baird: Save for the exceptions detailed below, the majority of buildings used by the Department for Constitutional Affairs are now believed to be compliant with the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 as regards accessibility for all users. There was some slippage with regard to works required by 1 October 2004 deadline at a small number of locations, but these have since been addressed.
	Following on from the transfer of the magistrates courts estate to Her Majesty's Courts Service (an Executive agency of the Department for Constitutional Affairs) on 1 April 2005, a programme of access audits has been carried out to establish the degree of compliance of the magistrates courts buildings with the Act and to put in place managed solutions where appropriate. In parallel with this interim solution, a programme of works has now been agreed and costed and will be implemented as soon as practical.

Dr David Kelly

Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what discussions took place between the Oxfordshire coroner and  (a) her Department and  (b) Lord Hutton before the coroner's decision to issue a death certificate for Dr. David Kelly on 18 August 2003.

Harriet Harman: The coroner did not issue a death certificate for Dr. David Kelly. It is the responsibility of the local registrar to issue death certificates or more properly certified copies of entries in the register of deaths.

Dr David Kelly

Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs pursuant to the answer of 3 May 2006,  Official Report, column 1663W, on Dr. David Kelly, what the verdict of the inquest was; and on what date the verdict was announced.

Harriet Harman: There was no inquest verdict in the case of Dr. David Kelly. The coroner did not resume the inquest after it had been adjourned pending the Hutton inquiry.

Dr David Kelly

Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs on what date the Oxfordshire coroner complied with the requirement of section 17A(6) of the Coroners Act 1988 in the case of the death of Dr. David Kelly; and if she will place in the Library a copy of the certificate required under this section.

Harriet Harman: The Oxfordshire coroner advises me that he notified the registrar on 16 March 2004 in accordance with the requirements of section 17A(6) of the Coroners Act 1988. I understand that notification would have contained personal information about Dr. Kelly and it would not be appropriate for it to be put into the public domain.

Dr David Kelly

Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs if she will list the categories of information available to Lord Hutton for his inquiry into the death of Dr. David Kelly in respect of which some or all information has been  (a) withheld from the public and  (b) destroyed.

Harriet Harman: None of the evidence submitted to Lord Hutton for his inquiry has been destroyed.
	The website for the inquiry www.the-hutton-inquiry.org.uk contains a list of all evidence submitted to the inquiry. Where that evidence has been withheld from the public a reason has been given. Most of the evidence is, however, available to the public through the website.
	The original documents supplied to the inquiry are held at the National Archives.

Dr David Kelly

Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs pursuant to the Answer of 3 May 2006,  Official Report, column 1666W, on the Hutton inquiry, who took the decision that Lord Hutton did not need the formal powers of the 1921 Act in order to carry out a full and comprehensive inquiry.

Harriet Harman: The Lord Chancellor took the decision that Lord Hutton did not need the formal powers of the 1921 Act. It was made clear that if Lord Hutton required more powers he could ask for them. Lord Hutton did not make any request for more powers.

Dr David Kelly

Graham Stuart: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs which Government Departments were issued copies of the Hutton Report following its publication; and how many copies were distributed to each:

Andrew Turner: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many copies of the Hutton Report were printed; how many were sold; at what price; how many were obtained by No. 10 Downing Street; and to whom they were issued.

Harriet Harman: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right. hon. Friend the Prime Minister to the hon. Member for Southend, West (Mr. Amess), on 3 February 2004,  Official Report, column 758W.

FOI Requests

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many requests under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 for the disclosure of personal information from the 1911 census have been received by the National Archives since 29 January 2006; and what the outcome was in cases where the applicants provided documentary evidence that all the 1911 residents of a specific property were no longer alive.

Harriet Harman: The National Archives has received 42 requests to access information contained in the 1911 census returns in the period between 29 January and 17 May 2006. All of these requests, including one where the inquirer provided evidence that all persons believed to be resident at a particular address in 1911 are now deceased, were denied on the grounds that the s.41 exemption of the Freedom of Information Act—relating to information provided in confidence—applies. These decisions were taken in the context of the Government's policy that decennial census returns should be closed for 100 years.

Information Commissioner

Edward Davey: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the cost was of the casework management system installed in the Information Commissioner's Office in 2004 to monitor breaches of telephone preference service regulations.

Vera Baird: The Information Commissioner's Office is an independent statutory body. It receives a wide range of complaints, principally under the Data Protection Act 1998, Freedom of Information Act 2000, Environmental Information Regulations 2000, and the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003. The Information Commissioner's Office introduced a Casework Management and Enquiry Handling system from 2003 onwards to provide support for all of these complaints activities.
	Separate costings for the functionality of the different elements of the Information Commissioner's Office casework system are not available and there was no specific expenditure to cover complaints under the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003.

Legally Aided Litigants

Lee Scott: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what assessment she has made of the effect of costs protection on the opponents of legally aided litigants.

Vera Baird: No formal assessment has been made. However, the role of cost protection and its impact on clients and opponents was considered by the Department in 2004-05. It was decided to remove cost protection from most family cases but retain the existing rules for non-family proceedings. The purpose of cost protection is to ensure that vulnerable clients are not deterred from bringing proceedings by the threat of having to pay excessive costs, should they lose their case. Clients bringing certain types of civil proceedings with the help of legal aid are protected so that they can only be ordered to pay costs which are reasonable, given their circumstances. However, in certain circumstances, courts can also direct that costs awarded to an individual, against a funded client, should be paid by the Legal Services Commission, if the individual will suffer financial hardship if the costs are not paid.

Ministerial Travel (Accommodation)

David Simpson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the total cost was of overnight accommodation for  (a) civil servants and  (b) special advisers in her Department staying overnight in (i) mainland Great Britain, (ii) Northern Ireland, (iii) the Republic of Ireland and (iv) other countries in each of the last three years.

Harriet Harman: This information is not held centrally and to obtain it would incur disproportionate cost.

Official Residences

Oliver Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the  (a) notional market rent,  (b) estimated capital value,  (c) total cost of rent, security, utilities, facilities management and general maintenance was of the Lord Chancellor's official residence in the House of Lords in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Harriet Harman: The Lord Chancellor's official residence is used by the Lord Chancellor as the Speaker of the House of Lords. The Lord Chancellor does not live there, but it is used for official entertaining and charitable receptions. It is maintained by the House. No figures are held by the Department for Constitutional Affairs.

Potters Bar Rail Crash

James Clappison: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the timetable is for the holding of a coroner's inquest into the Potters Bar rail crash.

Harriet Harman: I refer the hon. Member to my previous reply of 13 February 2006,  Official Report, column 1594W. Further to that reply, the coroner has appointed Mr. Justice Sullivan as assistant deputy coroner to hold the Potters Bar rail crash inquests.

Victims of Crime

Ian Austin: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what mechanisms are in place in the criminal justice system to ensure a formal acknowledgement of the harm caused to victims of crime and their families.

Harriet Harman: The Victim Personal Statement scheme allows victims an opportunity to tell criminal justice agencies and services dealing with their case how the crime has affected them. Anyone who sees the case files should consider the Victim Personal Statement when making decisions. The scheme is one of a range of measures designed to give victims a voice, such as the use of Victims' Advocates. In some local areas, victims may also request a restorative justice process, which brings together the victim and offender, and the wider community, to address the harm caused by crime.

TREASURY

Climate Change Levy

Paul Flynn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the effect on the revenue to the National Insurance Fund of the increase in the climate change levy.

John Healey: The announced increase in the rates of the climate change levy in 2007 will not affect the revenue to the National Insurance Fund.

HM Revenue and Customs

Philip Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether some HM Revenue and Customs training courses are offered only to certain members of staff based on  (a) sex,  (b) ethnic origin and  (c) sexual orientation; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: HMRC has in the past and continues to offer development programmes to members of staff based on their sex, race or sexual orientation, usually with a mix of participants from various backgrounds.
	These training programmes are offered as part of the Department's positive action programme which is in place to assist in righting the imbalance of under represented groups at higher grades. Both the Sex Discrimination Act 1975 and the Race Relations Act 1976 allow positive action.

HM Revenue and Customs

Robert Wareing: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received in respect of the proposed closure of the HM Revenue and Customs office at Regian House, Liverpool; what response he has made; and if he will reconsider the closure.

Dawn Primarolo: The HM Revenue and Customs office at Regian House, Liverpool is not closing. However processing work currently carried out in Regian House and other offices in the Liverpool area, is being centralised in Manchester as part of HM Revenue and Customs' overall efficiency plans.

Special Protection Areas

Anne Milton: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the population was of each ward  (a) in and  (b) adjacent to special protection areas in (i) Surrey, (ii) the Thames Basin and (iii) the UK in the last period for which figures are available.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 14 June 2006:
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your question regarding the population in each ward  (a) in and  (b) adjacent to Special Protection Areas (SPAs) in (i) Surrey, (ii) the Thames Basin and (iii) the UK in the last period for which figures are available. I am replying in her absence (76637).
	I am placing tables in the House of Commons Library, which provide the information you have requested The most recent population estimates for England and Wales wards are for mid-2002. These ward population estimates have been published with the status of "experimental statistics". Therefore these estimates should be treated with some care. The latest ward population figures for Scotland and Northern Ireland are from the 2001 Census.
	Tables 1 to 3 include the wards which are covered, wholly or partly by SPAs for Surrey, the Thames Basin and the UK respectively. Tables 4 to 6 include the wards which are adjacent to the wards covered, wholly or partly by these SPAs for Surrey, the Thames Basin and the UK respectively, for all tables, the local authorities covered by these wards have been included.
	Please note that in Scotland, many of the SPAs cover uninhabited islands which do not have a ward assigned to them, and therefore no ward information is included. In addition, a number of SPAs are on islands/or in lochs and so have no direct populations. The adjacent ward populations for these SPAs have been included in the data.

Stamp Duty (Peterborough)

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many properties sold in  (a) Peterborough constituency and  (b) the Peterborough city council area in each of the last three years attracted stamp duty at (i) 0 per cent., (ii) one per cent., (iii) three per cent. and (iv) four per cent.

Edward Balls: Estimates of the number of property transactions at local authority/unitary authority level and for parliamentary constituencies are only available for 2004-05 and 2005-06, and are given in the following table grouped by stamp duty band.
	The number of transactions bearing stamp duty will be lower than the number shown in the non-zero bands due to the use of various reliefs, e.g. disadvantaged area relief, group relief, registered social landlord relief etc. There are also some lease transactions which fall in the 0 per cent. band on account of consideration, but which bear stamp duty on the lease rental.
	
		
			   Property transactions attracting 
			   0 per cent. rate( 1)  1 per cent. rate( 2)  3 per cent. rate( 3)  4 per cent. rate( 4)  Total 
			  Peterborough city council  
			 2004-05 1,200 4,700 260 80 6,300 
			 2005-06 3,300 2,400 320 130 6,100 
			   
			  Peterborough constituency  
			 2004-05 780 2,600 96 46 3,600 
			 2005-06 2,000 1,100 100 58 3,300 
			 (1 )Residential threshold was £60,000 in 2004-05 and £120,000 in 2005-06. Non residential threshold was £150,000 in both years.  (2) £60,001-£250,000 range for residential transactions in 2004-05, £120,001-£250,000 for residential transactions in 2005-06, £150,001-£250,000 for non-residential transactions. (3) £250,001 to £500,000.  (4) £500,001 or more.

Tax Credits

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his latest estimate is of the average time taken to answer calls to the tax credits helpline in each month since November 2005; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: For November 2005 to April 2006 I would refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 5 June 2006,  Official Report, column 187W.
	The figure for May 2006 is 53 seconds.

Tax Credits

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to introduce an improved level of service for tax credit claimants; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: Since my statement to the House on 26 May 2005,  Official Report, column 22W, HM Revenue and Customs have introduced a series of measures to improve the service. I made a statement on the progress that has been made on these measures at the Treasury Select Committee on the 1 February 2006.
	In my written statement to the House on 5 December 2005,  Official Report, column 5W, I announced further measures, as part of the pre-Budget report, to provide more certainty over tax credits award for families while maintaining flexibility to respond to falls in income and changes in circumstances.

Tax Credits

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what his latest assessment is of the level of tax credit overpayments in 2004-05;
	(2)  what his latest assessment is of the level of tax credit overpayment for 2006-07.

Dawn Primarolo: Estimates for 2004-05 of the numbers of in-work families with tax credits awards, including information on overpayments and underpayments, based on final family circumstances and incomes for 2004-05 are published in "Child and Working Tax Credits. Finalised Awards. 2004-05." This publication and provisional estimates for the number of in-work families with tax credit awards as at selected dates in 2005-06 are available on the HMRC website at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/cwtc-quarterly-stats.htm.
	Measures announced in the 2005 pre-Budget report, which are being introduced from April 2006, are expected to reduce overpayments by one third once they are fully implemented.

Tax Credits

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people who were underpaid tax credits from 1 April 2003 to 31 March 2005 have received the full amounts underpaid; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: HMRC repay underpayments or offset them against any outstanding overpayments, as soon as the underpayments are recognised.

Tax Credits

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many disabled workers have  (a) claimed and  (b) been in receipt of tax credits for each month since June 2005; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The characteristics of adults and children as initially captured in all tax credits claims, including rejected claims, are not available, and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	The numbers of tax credits awards to in-work families with particular characteristics at selected dates from July 2003 to April 2006 are available in publications on the HMRC website:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/cwtc-quarterly-stats.htm.

Tax Credits

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  whether he plans to carry out an assessment of the case for moving to a system of fixed tax credit awards; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what external research his Department has commissioned on the case for a return to a system of fixed tax credit awards; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: As the 2005 pre-Budget report stated, the Government will continue to listen to the case for a system of fixed awards, but believes on balance that it is preferable to maintain the current system that flexibly responds to changing circumstances.
	The Department has not commissioned any external work on the case for a system of fixed tax credit awards.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Bali Bombing

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much the Government are contributing towards the London memorial for British people affected by the 2002 Bali bombing.

Kim Howells: The Government are contributing £260,000, plus £44,000 VAT, to the London memorial project in memory of the victims of the 2002 bombings in Bali.

Basson/Project Coast Handling Strategy

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which officials attended the ad hoc meeting held on 13 January to discuss the Basson/Project Coast handling strategy; and which Department or agency each represented.

Kim Howells: The meeting on 13 January 2006 was attended by 13 officials from a number of relevant departments and agencies, including the Ministry of Defence, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Health Protection Agency, to review what information was available on Project Coast and to ensure that the 12 parliamentary questions under consideration received consistent, full and accurate answers.

British Citizens (Overseas Convictions)

Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what system is in place for the supervision of activities of British citizens convicted of imprisonable offences abroad who are deported back to the United Kingdom.

Kim Howells: When Consular staff are informed that a British national who has been imprisoned overseas is to be deported to the UK, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London passes details of the individual and the date of deportation, if known, to the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA). It is then for SOCA to ensure that this information is passed to the relevant authorities responsible for any necessary supervision of the deportee's activities following their arrival in the UK.

Commonwealth Meeting (Uganda)

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether  (a) the Prime Minister and  (b) Her Majesty the Queen plans to attend the Commonwealth meeting in Uganda.

Ian McCartney: The Kampala Commonwealth summit is not until November 2007. While it is too soon to be certain, both my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister and Her Majesty the Queen expect to attend Commonwealth Heads of Government Meetings.

Departmental Pensions

Robert Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will estimate the pension liability of her Department over the next 30 years.

Geoff Hoon: HM Treasury placed a technical Note about the total liability of unfunded public service occupational pension schemes in the Library of the House on 2 March 2006,  Official Report, columns 388-90W following an oral Statement by my right hon. Friend the then Chief Secretary to the Treasury (Des Browne).
	The Government Actuaries Department do not estimate pension liabilities for individual departments but for different pension schemes. UK-based staff at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office are covered by the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme (PCSPS). Table 1 of HM Treasury's Note of 2 March 2006 sets out estimates of the liabilities of the PCSPS.

James Miller

Richard Younger-Ross: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations she has made to the Israeli authorities regarding the prosecution of the soldiers and commanding officer involved in the killing of British cameraman James Miller in May 2003 since the St. Pancras coroner's verdict.

Kim Howells: My noble and learned Friend the Attorney-General is responsible for matters relating to possible prosecutions in the United Kingdom. Following the coroner's verdict he and my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary separately met James Miller's family. During his subsequent visit to Israel in May, the Attorney-General had detailed discussions on this matter and indeed the killing of Thomas Hurndall, with the Israeli Foreign Minister, Minister of Justice, Attorney-General and Military Advocate General and others. In addition the Attorney-General raised the issue of holding an independent inquiry into the death and subsequent investigation and pressed for appropriate compensation to be paid to the family without delay. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary is in contact with the Attorney-General about how this matter will be taken forward.

Peru

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action she is taking towards ensuring that the Peruvian presidential elections are  (a) free and fair and  (b) subject to scrutiny from international observers.

Geoff Hoon: We followed the Peruvian presidential election campaign closely through our embassy in Lima and we fully support the Peruvian Government's efforts to ensure the elections were free and fair. An Electoral Observation Mission of the Organisation of American States monitored the second round of the elections on 4 June 2006, with the participation of some 100 international observers. The European Parliament also sent an observer mission.

Terrorism

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information she has received about the terrorist Hambali, who is in US custody and is charged with masterminding the Bali bombing in 2002.

Ian McCartney: Hambali (aka Riduan Isamuddin) was captured in Thailand in August 2003. It is the longstanding policy of the Government not to comment on intelligence matters.

UK-Israeli Relations

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of the possible effect on UK-Israeli relations of the boycott of Israeli academics by the National Association of Teachers of Further and Higher Education; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: The Government regrets the decision by the National Association of Teachers in Further and Higher Education (NATFHE) to vote in favour of boycotting Israeli academics and institutions. We believe that such boycotts are counter-productive and that far more can be obtained through dialogue and academic co-operation.
	The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my noble Friend Lord Triesman of Tottenham, issued a public statement on the boycott on 29 May 2006. The full text of the statement is available on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website at:
	http://www.fco.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket/Xcelerate/ShowPage&c=Page&cid=1007029391638&a=KArticle&aid=1148472774425%20&year=2006&month=2006-05-01&date=2006-05-29
	I understand that, following the merger between NATFHE and the Association of University teachers on 1 June, the boycott has now been suspended.

Zimbabwe

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 22 May 2006,  Official Report, column 1416W, on the British embassy in Zimbabwe, where in Harare the new embassy will be located; what the timetable is for work on the new premises; what the total cost is forecast to be; what the total number of staff in the new premises is forecast to be; how many staff work in the existing embassy; what discussions she has had with the Government of Zimbabwe on the new embassy; and what plans she has for ministerial visits for the opening of the new embassy.

Geoff Hoon: The new embassy in Zimbabwe will be located on a greenfield site in Mount Pleasant, a suburb six kilometres north of the centre of Harare. Construction should begin this year with a new embassy completed late 2008. We are unable to make public the cost of the project as to do so would prejudice our commercial interests in circumstances where the contracts have still to be tendered.
	There are 110 staff, UK based and locally engaged, working in our existing embassy in Harare. This figure includes the staff of the Department of International Development-Zimbabwe who are co-located with the embassy. This number is unlikely to change on transfer to the new building. Our embassy in Harare has been in contact with Government of Zimbabwe about our plans and has obtained the necessary permission to build. There are no plans for Ministers to attend the opening of the new embassy.

HEALTH

Ambulance Services

Peter Atkinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will take steps to resolve the dispute over lunch breaks between the North East Ambulance Trust and ambulance crews.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 13 June 2006
	Where there are problems with assimilation of staff onto agenda for change terms and conditions NHS Employers uses implementation teams, working in partnership with national unions represented on the NHS staff council, to provide the necessary support.

Ambulance Services

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what criteria she will take into account before changes are considered to the future of the Staffordshire Ambulance Service.

Rosie Winterton: We shall shortly be agreeing the basis for partnership between Staffordshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust and the new West Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust. It is of course paramount that the safety of the public is protected, and this must be the main consideration in going forward.

Ambulance Services

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the Staffordshire Ambulance Service will be merged into a West Midlands Ambulance Service within 24 months; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: As stated by the Minister of State, my hon. Friend the Member for Leigh (Andy Burnham), in his statement to the House on 16 May 2006, for now Staffordshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust will remain a separate trust, working in partnership with the new West Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust, but will merge at a later date.
	No timescale has been set for this merger.

Cannabis (Therapeutic Use)

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made in testing medicinal products containing cannabis for pain relief; and if she will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: There have been two main investigators of cannabis based medicinal product and these are Dr. Zajicek and GW Pharmaceuticals. Dr. Zajicek published the results of his study in  The Lancet in November 2003 (Cannabinoids for treatment of Spasticity and other symptoms related to multiple sclerosis (cannabis in multiple sclerosis (CAMS) study). The 3 year CAMS trial, involving more than 600 patients in the United Kingdom, has yielded no definitive verdict on whether the drug can ease the symptoms of multiple sclerosis. I am not aware of any other ongoing studies by Dr. Zajicek.
	On 17 March 2006, GW Pharmaceuticals announced the preliminary results from a Phase III study of Sativex (cannabis based medicinal product) in the relief of spasticity in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). This study is a randomized, placebo controlled group study in 335 MS patients with spasticity. According to the GW website, this study is one of a number of Phase III studies which are currently taking place to support approval of Sativex across Europe in a range of targeted indications.

Consultant Contract Benefit Realisation Team

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the remit is of the consultant contract benefit realisation team; how many people are employed in the team; and when it was established.

Rosie Winterton: The consultant contract benefit realisation team was established in March 2005 and ended on 31 May 2006. Their remit was to work with national health service trusts on a more proactive approach to job planning; to gather and share examples of good practice; and to make recommendations to the office of strategic health authorities. There were five people employed in the team for most of this period.

Correspondence

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she will reply to the letter of 3 February from the hon. Member for Aylesbury to the former Minister of State the hon. Member for Liverpool, Wavertree (Jane Kennedy), on behalf of Mrs B. G. of Lacey Green, about prescription medicines.

Andy Burnham: This letter was replied to on 12 June 2006.

Cosmetic Surgery

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how much has been spent by the NHS on cosmetic surgery in each of the last 8 years;
	(2)  how much has been spent by the NHS on tattoo removal in each of the last 8 years;

Andy Burnham: This information is not collected centrally.

Departmental Pension Liability

Robert Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will estimate the pension liability of her Department over the next 30 years.

Rosie Winterton: I refer the hon. Member to the technical note by HM Treasury that was placed in the Library on 2 March 2006,  Official Report, columns 388-90W, following an oral statement in Parliament by the then Chief Secretary to the Treasury,
	Pension liabilities are not estimated for individual departments, they are estimated for individual pension schemes, as shown in the breakdown of liabilities per pension scheme given in table one of the technical note.

Departmental Statistical Publications

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the planned publication date is of each annual statistical publication to be produced by her Department in the next nine months; and if she will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: Timing of annual and other statistical publications produced by the Department is pre-announced by way of a 12-month publication plan which is available on the Department's website at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/PublicationsAndStatistics/Statistics/CodeOf Practice/12MonthPlan/fs/en?CONTENT_ID=40164238&chk=Eldbg/
	This plan also currently includes statistical publications produced by the information centre for health and social care.
	The Department process for pre-announcing statistical publications is carried out in accordance with the National Statistics protocol for release practices. Month of publication is given six months ahead with exact date at least two weeks ahead.

Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment her Department has made of the potential effects of the withdrawal of the bulk contract for the Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin, with particular reference to prescribing; and who will pay for the Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin following the withdrawal of funds.

Andy Burnham: A number of alternative sources of information and advice remain readily available to prescribers following the Department's decision not to renew its bulk contract for the Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin. I understand that individuals and organisations can subscribe direct to the Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin if they wish to do so.

Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin

Colin Breed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what consultation was undertaken before the decision was taken to cancel funding for the Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin.

Andy Burnham: There was no requirement to consult on the decision not to renew the contract.

Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what factors she took into account when deciding not to renew the contract for the Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin.

Andy Burnham: The decision not to renew the Department's national contract for distribution of the Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin was informed by our policy to devolve as much responsibility as possible to the national health service and to look very critically at central spending. It is our policy that central spending should be kept to an absolute minimum in order to maximise the resources available for the NHS to manage at the local level. The decision also took account of the availability of other sources of medicines information.

Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin

Howard Stoate: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the impact on doctors of the decision by her Department to withdraw funding from the Drugs and Therapeutics Bulletin; and if she will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: A number of alternative sources of information and advice remain readily available to prescribers following the Department's decision not to renew its bulk contract for the Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin. I understand that individuals and organisations can subscribe directly to the Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin if they wish to do so.

Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on dissemination of the Drugs and Therapeutics Bulletin to NHS doctors.

Andy Burnham: The Department has taken the decision not to renew its contract for the central purchase and distribution of the Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin. Future distribution arrangements are a matter for the publisher, Which? Limited, although officials have been discussing with them how the Department can best support this transition.

Generic Medicines

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the savings made by the NHS from the centralised procurement process for generic medicines in 2005.

Andy Burnham: The estimated savings made by the national health service from the centralised process for generic medicines in 2005 obtained through the national contracts sourcing programme for generic pharmaceuticals are £51 million.

Generic Medicines

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent estimate she has made of the savings which are to be made to the NHS through the optimal use of generic, rather than branded, medicines.

Andy Burnham: Data from the prescription pricing division of the Business Services Authority (formerly known as the Prescription Pricing Authority) indicates that from January to March 2006 the estimated savings that could have been achieved through the compulsory generic dispensing of the top 40 (in terms of the amount of potential saving that could be achieved) proprietary drugs for which a generic alternative is available and where the proprietary drug is suitable for substitution, was £11.7 million.

GP Contract

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the cost of the new general practitioner contract.

Rosie Winterton: Introduction of the new primary medical care contractual frameworks represents a fundamental change in the way in which contractors are incentivised to deliver patient care. The new arrangements were underpinned by a three-year deal, ending in 2005-06, which guaranteed a 36 per cent. increase in resources in England, rising from £5 billion in 2002-03 to £6.8 billion in 2005-06.
	Evidence from primary care trust (PCT) expenditure returns show PCTs have also made available additional resources to secure the wider range of services and improvements in care to meet national and local priorities.
	The increased investment is directly benefiting the vast majority of patients who are experiencing improvements not only in the range of services available locally but also improvements in the quality of clinical services they receive.

HC1 Forms

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to her answer of 15 May 2006,  Official Report, column 756W, on prescription charges, in which languages HC1 forms are available; how much has been spent on advertising the availability of HC1 forms in each of the last five years; and how many people applied for a form in this period.

Andy Burnham: The HC1 form is available in English in England. For those whose first language is not English a telephone translation service is provided via any of the telephone numbers in the publicity material. The cost of advertising the availability of form HC1 is not identified separately. It is included in the range of 'Help with Health Cost' material produced. There is no record of the number of people who obtain from HC1. Forms may be ordered by individuals from Department's publications order line 08701 555 455. Forms are also ordered in bulk by national health service and other bodies for individuals to obtain from NHS practitioners, NHS hospitals, or Jobcentre Plus offices or citizens advice bureau. The numbers distributed in the past five years are shown in the table.
	
		
			   Volume 
			 2001-02 2,196,057 
			 2002-03 1,986,232 
			 2003-04 1,924,258 
			 2004-05 1,681,846 
			 2005-06 1,515,389

Medical Services Contracts

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether  (a) GPs and  (b) private firms that win alternative provider of medical services contracts are required to disclose (i) how much money per patient they are earning, (ii) their quality framework score and (iii) their profit levels.

Rosie Winterton: Individual general practitioners or providers of alternative provider medical services are not required to disclose to the Department the amount of money they receive per patient, or profit levels. Information about quality and outcomes framework scores for providers who participate in this scheme is published by the information centre for health and social care.

Mental Health

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many young people are waiting to access child and adolescent mental health services, broken down by region; what the average waiting time to access child and adolescent mental health services was in the most recent year for which figures are available; and if she will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: Not all the information requested is collated centrally. The most recent information is derived from provisional figures from the 2005 child and adolescent mental health service (CAMHS) mapping exercise. In November 2005, there were 26,207 cases waiting to be seen by specialist CAMHS in England, a reduction of 2,674 from the previous year.
	In November 2005, 52 per cent. of new cases were seen by specialist CAMHS within four weeks, an additional 33 per cent. within 13 weeks, and a further 10 per cent. within 26 weeks. 5 per cent. of cases waited over 26 weeks to be seen by specialist CAMHS.
	The Department is committed to ensuring that comprehensive CAMHS are available to all who need them. Our vision is set out in the national service framework for children, young people and maternity services, published in September 2004.

Mental Health

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the black and minority ethnic mental health network  (a) has been and  (b) is (i) involved in and (ii) given appropriate notice of the development, implementation and facilitation of the race equality impact assessment consultation events on the Mental Health Bill; and if she will take steps to ensure that the network is (A) involved in and (B) given appropriate notice of future such events.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 22 May 2006
	Seven events were held, attended by about 430 people across England and in Wales as part of the process of consultation to assess the potential race impact of the proposed amendments to the Mental Health Act 1983 and the Mental Capacity Act 2005. The black and minority ethnic (BME) mental health network was involved in the initial development of the race equality impact assessment (REIA) consultation events. Due to an unfortunate breakdown in communications over the timing of the events, the network decided to withdraw their support from the events. We apologised for any misunderstanding and sought to involve the network in the events. The events were attended by a range of users and carers, including representatives from the African-Caribbean, South Asian, Irish, Pakistani and Chinese communities.
	Professor Antony Sheehan, Director General of the care services directorate, is now personally overseeing this work and is meeting with members of the BME network on 19 June 2006 to discuss how to continue taking this forward. This meeting will be followed by a ministerial meeting with members of the BME network on 20 June 2006. In the meantime, the Department's REIA advisory group met on 31 May and agreed to further work on the impact of the amendments to the Mental Health Act. The REIA advisory group has met on 13 June 2006. One of the members of the Department's REIA advisory group is from MIND, and is also the co-chair of the BME network. The BME network continue to engage as part of the wider REIA process and we value their helpful input.

Modernising Medical Careers

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will assess the impact of planned changes in the budget for junior doctor training during the transition to modernising medical careers.

Rosie Winterton: Allocations to strategic health authorities (SHAs) for 2006-07 will be issued shortly. They will include funding for modernising medical careers. The precise costs of the transition are not known as much of it will be managed at local level through the re-badging of existing posts rather than the creation of new ones. As a result, it will be for SHAs working closely with their postgraduate deaneries to determine exactly how much funding they will need to provide for modernising medical careers in their locality.

Overseas Doctors

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many trainee doctors from  (a) Pakistan,  (b) India,  (c) other Commonwealth countries,  (d) EU countries and  (e) European Economic Area countries work in the Northern Lincolnshire and Goole Hospitals Trust;
	(2)  how many trainee doctors from  (a) Pakistan,  (b) India,  (c) New Zealand and  (d) South Africa are working in hospitals in England.

Rosie Winterton: It is the responsibility of any employer for applications for work permits. No extra funding will be allocated to national health service trusts.
	The numbers of general practitioners (GP) hospital and community health services (HCHS) doctors in training and equivalents in England by specified countries of qualification as at 30 September 2005. Many doctors in this category are not in posts that are academically approved.
	
		
			  GP registrars and HCHS: doctors in training and equivalents( 1)  by grade and country of qualification for specified countries( 2) , England at 30 September 2005 
			   Registrar group  Senior house officer  House officer and foundation programme year( 1) 
			 All countries of qualification 18,006 21,642 4,663 
			 
			  Of which:
			 India 3,581 5,329 184 
			 New Zealand 68 27 0 
			 Pakistan 435 1,041 165 
			 South Africa 327 251 2 
			 (1) Doctors in training and equivalents is the term used to refer to people in the registrar group, senior house officers, house officers and other staff in equivalent grades who are not in an educationally approved post. (2) Excludes all dental staff. Information about country of qualification is derived from the General Medical Council. For staff in dental specialties, with a General Dental Council registration, the country of qualification is therefore unknown.  Sources: The Information Centre for health and social care, medical and dental workforce census. The Information Centre for health and social care, general and personal medical services statistics.

Payment by Results

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what formula is used for calculating payments to a hospital under payment by results.

Andy Burnham: Under payment by results, hospitals are paid according to the number and complexity of cases treated and on the basis of the national tariff. The national tariff paid to individual providers is adjusted for market forces factor (MFF), to account for unavoidable cost differences in land, labour and buildings. This could be expressed as a formula: activity x (tariff x MFF).

Prescriptions

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many prescriptions have been issued using the electronic prescriptions service in each month since it became operational.

Andy Burnham: The number of prescription messages issued using the electronic prescription service is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Date  Prescription messages 
			 20-28 February 2005 607 
			 March 2005 3,442 
			 April 2005 2,887 
			 May 2005 3,576 
			 June 2005 3,394 
			 July 2005 6,135 
			 August 2005 6,432 
			 September 2005 14,400 
			 October 2005 46,039 
			 November 2005 69,823 
			 December 2005 68,365 
			 January 2006 87,074 
			 February 2006 153,771 
			 March 2006 260,898 
			 April 2006 262,952 
			 May 2006 439,427 
			 Total 1,429,222

Queen Alexandra Hospital, Cosham

Peter Viggers: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the projected cost is of the private finance initiative re-development of Queen Alexandra Hospital, Cosham.

Andy Burnham: The capital cost of Portsmouth Hospitals National Health Service Trust's private finance initiative (PFI) scheme for the redevelopment of Queen Alexandra Hospital is £236 million. The annual payment the trust will make to its private sector under the PFI contract is £32,866,000 million, subject to satisfactory performance by the contractor and other factors such as refinancing. The contract is for 35 years; payment commences after the first three and a half years upon the successful construction and handover of the new facilities to the trust.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Advertising and Publicity

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list the 10 most expensive advertising and publicity campaigns run by his Department and its agencies since 1 January 2004; and what the total cost was in each case.

Anne McGuire: The information is not available in the format requested and can be provided only at disproportionate cost. A breakdown of publicity costs for each financial year can be found in the Departments Reports' which are available in the Library. The 10 most expensive advertising and publicity campaigns for 2005-06 are set out in the following table:
	
		
			  Campaign  Spend (£000) 
			 Targeting Benefit Fraud 7,459 
			 Pension Credit 3,000 
			 Age Partnership 2,475 
			 Winter Fuel/Age Related Payments 1,416 
			 Disability Discrimination Act 1,313 
			 Future Pensioners/Informed Choice 1,059 
			 Pensioners Guide 1,000 
			 State Pension Deferral 927 
			 State Second Pension 818 
			 Age Positive 750 
			  Notes: 1. The table does not include the following as the information is not held centrally and can be obtained only at disproportionate cost; spend by non-departmental bodies, statutory bodies for which the Department is responsible or other body sponsored by the Department details of highly localised publicity activity by the Department's customer-facing businesses; recruitment or procurement advertising. 2. All figures have been rounded to the nearest thousand. 3. All figures are exclusive of VAT. 4. Spend is recorded by financial year only, rather than calendar years.

Air Miles

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many free air miles have been earned by senior civil servants in his Department in each of the last three years; and how they were used.

Anne McGuire: The Department of Work and Pensions does not have any scheme which collects free air miles gained from business journeys.

Benefit Recipients

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his latest estimate is of the number of people who are entitled to, but not receiving  (a) pension credit,  (b) income support,  (c) housing benefit,  (d) council tax benefit and  (e) other benefits in Coventry South.

James Plaskitt: Information is not available broken down below national level. For the available information I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave the right hon. Member for North Tyneside (Mr. Byers), on 3 March 2006,  Official Report, column 1034W.

Benefit Recipients

Edward Miliband: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many  (a) social fund,  (b) incapacity benefit and  (c) family credit recipients there were on average in each and what the average award was in each year ward in Doncaster North in (i) 1984, (ii) 1994 and (iii) 2004; in each case.

Anne McGuire: The information is not available in the format requested. Social fund and family credit data is not available at ward level. Incapacity benefit and severe disablement allowance data are not available at ward level prior to August 1999. The available information for incapacity benefit and severe disablement allowance is in the following table.
	
		
			  Incapacity benefit and severe disablement allowance claimants and average weekly amount, by ward, Doncaster North parliamentary constituency, August 2004 
			  Ward name  Total claimants  Average weekly amount (£) 
			 Adwick 1,260 84.41 
			 Askern 765 87.06 
			 Bentley Central 980 84.50 
			 Bentley North Road 630 84.16 
			 Stainforth 1,045 87.14 
			 Thorne 1,280 84.52 
			  Notes:  1. Claimant numbers have been rounded to a multiple of 5 and average amounts to the nearest penny.  2. Claimants figures include all incapacity benefit and severe disablement allowance cases, including incapacity benefit credit only cases.  3. The average weekly amount does not include credit only cases.   Source:  DWP Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study 100 per cent data.

Benefits (Information Leaflets)

Ian Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he plans to take to ensure that leaflets on pensions and disability benefits from his Department are freely available at  (a) post offices,  (b) libraries,  (c) doctors' surgeries,  (d) council offices and  (e) citizens advice bureaux.

Anne McGuire: Although there is no national agreement for the display of leaflets at libraries, doctors' surgeries, council offices and citizens advice bureaux there are a number of routes which ensure the availability of leaflets at these locations.
	The Pension Service's local service teams, located throughout England, Scotland and Wales, have local partnerships with external organisations and formally monitor the use and availability of leaflets at 'Hard Copy Information Points' on partner premises. They also share local knowledge and experience of which leaflets are the most popular and most useful to our customers.
	The 80,000 subscribers to the Department's Publicity Register receive a quarterly newsletter called 'Touchbase' which provides details of current and forthcoming information campaigns. Subscribers are also able to order leaflets directly from the Department through its on-line catalogue of information products.
	Some private companies provide information services in public locations such as libraries and doctors' waiting rooms. The costs of providing this service are usually met directly by the Department or by the venue but the information remains free of any charge to the public.
	Recent customer research has indicated that disabled people would prefer information to be available at the point of diagnosis. The Disability and Carers Service are proposing to develop an awareness poster for display in locations such as doctors' surgeries, hospitals and local authorities that will signpost potential customers to more detailed information. Where possible the outlet displaying the poster will also hold stocks of leaflets.
	There is no longer any contractual agreement with the Post Office to display DWP leaflets.

Carers

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether receipt of state pension affects the level of carer's allowance granted to carers.

Anne McGuire: holding answer 12 May 2006
	Yes, the payment of carer's allowance is affected by receipt of state pension.
	The payment of state pension takes precedence because it is a contributory benefit, either extinguishing the payment of carer's allowance, or reducing it if the amount of carer's allowance due is higher.
	Although this will mean that carer's allowance is not payable, or not payable in full, an underlying entitlement to carer's allowance gives access to the carer premium in housing benefit and council tax benefit and to the carer's additional amount in pension credit.

Correspondence

Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for West Worcestershire of 17 March 2006.

James Plaskitt: holding answer 2 May 2006
	I replied to the hon. Member on 2 May 2006.

Departmental Expenditure

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department spent on  (a) Christmas cards,  (b) Christmas decorations and  (c) Christmas parties in each year since 1997.

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the cost to his Department of sending Christmas cards in 2005.

Anne McGuire: The Department for Work and Pensions was formed in 2002. The Department does not co-ordinate the purchase and distribution of Christmas cards centrally. However details on the cost of cards sent by Ministers, the Permanent Secretary and other areas of the Department can be found in the following table. Figures provided prior to 2005 in respect of other areas of the Department are based on the available information but may be under-estimates.
	
		
			  Cost (£) 
			   Ministers  Permanent Secretary  Other areas 
			 2002 (1)1,695 0 
			 2003 1,502 229 668 
			 2004 1,649 210 777 
			 2005 1,573 351 1,187 
			 (1) Breakdown not available. 
		
	
	Christmas cards are also sent out by the Department's Executive Agencies, and I have asked the respective chief executives of these agencies to write to the hon. Members separately. A copy of their letters will be placed in the Library.
	No expenditure was incurred on Christmas decorations in any year since the Department was formed.
	Expenditure on Christmas parties was as follows:
	
		
			  Ministers and Permanent Secretary Christmas party 
			  £ 
			   Cost to DWP( 1)  Cost 
			 2002 — (2)— 
			 2003 94 326 
			 2004 79 320 
			 2005 72 217 
			 (1) The Department only paid for approximately one third of the total cost. The Secretary of State and the Permanent Secretary paid personally for the remainder of the total cost reflecting broadly the proportion of external guests invited.  (2) Information not available.

Departmental Expenditure

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the annual expenditure on training and development by  (a) his Department and  (b) each (i) non-departmental public body, (ii) executive agency and (iii) other public body for which he is responsible in (A) Scotland, (B) Wales, (C) each of the English regions and (D) Northern Ireland was in each of the last three financial years; and what the planned expenditure is for 2005-06.

Anne McGuire: The following tables show the total expenditure for staff training and development for DWP, its agencies and its associate bodies at a national level. Full information by region is not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  Training and Development expenditure for DWP 2002-03 to 2005-06 
			   £ million 
			 2002-03 132.3 
			 2003-04 175.43 
			 2004-05 200.6 
			 2005-06 87.5(1) 
			 (1 )Information for 2005-06 is incomplete. 
		
	
	
		
			  Training and Development expenditure for DWP's agencies 2002-03 to 2005-06 
			  £ million 
			  Agencies  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 Jobcentre plus 78.4 74.3 129.1 37.7 
			 The pension service 32.0 38.6 19.7 24.1 
			 Disability and carers' service 21.9 10.4 9.7 5.3 
			 Child support agency — 24.0 21.6 6.8 
			 The appeals service — 0.6 2.1 n/a 
			 The rent service(1) 0.797 0.814 0.869 n/a 
			 (1 )Information taken from the Rent Service Business Plan 2005-2006. 
		
	
	The categories of data gathered during this period have changed, limiting the usefulness of any year by year comparison. In addition to formal training, staff are developed in a variety of other ways including e-learning, coaching, and mentoring in the work place. All these learning interventions are now reflected in the investment figures. Records have therefore become more accurate and comprehensive resulting in the apparent increase shown.
	
		
			  Training and Development Expenditure for non departmental public bodies (NDPB's) 
			  £ 
			   2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 Disability Employment Advisory Committee (DEAC) n/a 2,000 — 2,000 
			 Disability Living Allowance Advisory Board (DLAAB) — — — — 
			 Disability Rights Commission (DRC) 210,472 205,511 203,124 (1)419,000 
			 Health & Safety Commission (HSC) and Health and Safety Executive 5,200,000 4,700,000 3,900,000 (1)4,600,000 
			 Industrial Injuries Advisory Council (MAC) 0 0 0 0 
			 Independent Living Funds (ILF) 58,016 46,773 126,430 (1)142,310 
			 National Employment Panel (NEP) 3,013 16,079 38,891 (1)11,338 
			 Pensions Ombudsman (PO) 27,800 5,100 7,200 (1)14,000 
			 Private Pensions Fund (PPF) n/a n/a n/a (1)130,000 
			 Remploy Ltd. 4,700,000 6,200,000 7,300,000 (1)6,200,000 
			 Social Security Advisory Committee (SSAC) 0 0 0 0 
			 The Pensions Regular (TPR) n/a n/a n/a (1)793,000 
		
	
	
		
			  Training and Development Expenditure for associate bodies (i.e. other public bodies for which the Secretary of State is responsible 
			  £ 
			   2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 Independent Review Service & Social Fund Commissioner (IRS SFC) 19,902 18,245 26,284 (1, 2)44,912 
			 Motability 35,792 55,446 32,931 (1)65,000 
			 The Pensions Advisory Service (TPAS) 15,067 4,714 20,141 (1)19,000 
			 (1 )Planned expenditure. (2 )This includes the costs of external training providers. It does not include staff costs for training or the costs of in-house trainers.

Departmental Expenditure

Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much has been spent by his Department on salaries paid to civil servants in each year since 1997.

Anne McGuire: The information is in the following table.
	
		
			  Salaries paid to civil servants 
			  £000 
			  Year ending 31 March 
			   1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005 
			 Benefits agency 1,016,270 1,000,897 1,035,114 1,056,033 991,199 — — — 
			 The pension service — — — — — 207,556 309,238 292,785 
			 Contributions agency 118,131 117,455 — — — — — — 
			 Child support agency 120,692 108,053 116,690 133,306 148,654 169,193 176,694 184,242 
			 Veterans agency 15,895 13,580 14,214 15,351 15,261 — — — 
			 Jobcentre plus — — — — — 1,419,939 1,388,633 1,454,555 
			 Disability and carers — — — — — — — 48,482 
			 The appeals service 17,949 22,336 22,342 21,203 18,902 19,884 20,527 20,758 
			 Corporate 37,449 47,707 52,582 74,471 237,642 418,983 413,192 401,901 
			  
			 Total 1,326,386 1,310,028 1,240,942 1,300,364 1,411,658 2,235,555 2,308,284 2,402,723 
			 Percentage movement — -1.2 -5.6 4.6 7.9 36.9 3.2 3.9 
			 plus 
			 Employment service 450,015 478,533 504,251 538,755 595,878 — — — 
			 less 
			 Veterans' agency (15,895) (13,580) (14,214) (15,351) (15,261) — — — 
			  
			 Total (incl ES & excl. VA) 1,792,296 1,802,141 1,759,407 1,854,470 2,022,797 2,235,555 2,308,284 2,402,723 
			 Percentage movement — 0.5 -2.4 5.1 8.3 9.5 3.2 3.9 
			  Notes: Listed above are the salaries paid to civil servants, in the years stated, by agency. The figures exclude NI contributions, superannuation, bonuses, short term circumstances (e.g. deputising allowances) and staff on short term promotion. The first total includes all the agencies in the OWP (formally DSS) and therefore The veterans' agency (formally war pensions) is included but the employment service is excluded up to March 2002. This produces a large increase (36.9 per cent.) in 2002-03 when ES became part of the DWP. The second total includes ES and excludes war pensions from 1997-98 and therefore reduces the effect of the agency movements.

Departmental Expenditure

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many public consultations his Department undertook in 2005; and what the cost was  (a) in total and  (b) of each consultation.

Anne McGuire: As part of its policy development activity, the Department for Work and Pensions ran six formal public consultation exercises in 2005. The consultation process involved not only the formal consultation document, but also ongoing dialogue with stakeholders. The precise cost of this consultation activity is not collated on a central basis and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	Formal public consultation papers, summaries of replies, and Government's responses, are available at http://www.dwp.gov.uk/consultations/2005/index.asp.

Departmental Expenditure

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many staff from his Department attended the Civil Service Islamic Society Eid-ul-Adha event in London in 2005; and what the total cost was to his Department of their attendance.

Anne McGuire: My right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster will write to the hon. Member with details of the Civil Service Islamic Society Eid-ul-Adha event. Copies of her letter will be placed in the Library.

Departmental Legislation

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list those  (a) Acts and  (b) parts of Acts which received Royal Assent between 1976 and 2006 for which his Department has policy responsibility and which remain in force.

Anne McGuire: The information requested is as follows:
	
		
			   In force 
			  (a) Acts since 1976 for which the Department is responsible  
			 Vaccine Damage Payments Act 1979 (c.17) The whole Act, except sections 10 and 11 (repealed) 
			 Social Security Act 1979 (c.18) Sections 1, 20 and 21 
			 Pneumoconiosis etc. (Workers' Compensation) Act 1979 (c.41) The whole Act 
			 Social Security Act 1980 (c.30) Sections 6, 9, 12, 16, 19 to 21 except section 4 
			 Social Security and Housing Benefits Act 1982 (c.24) Sections 10, 39, 42, 45 to 48 
			 Social Security Act 1986 (c.50) Sections 37, 39, 54, 56, 57 and 83 to 90 
			 Social Security Act 1988 (c.7) Sections 12, 13, 15 to 16 and 18 to 20 
			 Social Security Act 1989 (c.24) Sections 4, 6, 22 to 24, 28 to 30, 31 and 33 
			 Social Security Act 1990 (c.28) Sections 6, 7, 15 and 18 to 23 
			 Disability Living Allowance and Disability Working Allowance Act 1991 (c.21) Sections 2, 4, 10 and 15 
			 Child Support Act 1991 (c.48) The whole Act except sections 13, 18, 19, 20A and 21 (repealed) 
			 Social Security Contributions and Benefits Act 1992 (c.4) other than parts 1, 12, ZA and 12 ZB Parts 2 to 12 and 12A and 13 except sections 25 to 30, 31 to 34, 49, 50, 53, 57 to 59, 80, 81, 86, 158 and 159 (repealed) 
			 Social Security Administration Act 1992 (c.5) The whole Act except for parts 2 and 4 and sections 11, 72, 110, 110B, 114A, 122A, 127, 128, 177 and 178 (repealed) 
			 Social Security (Consequential Provisions Act) 1992 (c.6) The whole Act 
			 Social Security (Mortgage Interest Payments) Act 1992 (c.33) Section 2 
			 Social Security Act 1993 (c.3) The whole Act except section 1 (repealed) 
			 The Disability Grants Act 1993 (c.14) The whole Act 
			 Pension Schemes Act 1993 (c.48) The whole Act except part 2 of schedule 5 and schedule 7 (not yet in force) and sections 2 to 6, 22, 24, 48, 59, 64 to 66, 77 to 80, 102 to 108, 111, 111B, 112, 114, 116, 118, 119 to 122, 133 to 144, 172, 173 and 187 (repealed) 
			 Statutory Sick Pay Act 1994 (c.2) The whole Act 
			 Social Security (Incapacity for Work) Act 1994 (c.18) The whole Act except sections 2(4), 9(1) to (3) and 10 (repealed) 
			 Jobseekers Act 1995 (c.18) The whole Act except sections 33 and 34 (repealed) 
			 Pensions Act 1995 (c.35) The whole Act except sections 145 (not yet in force) and 1, 2, 5, 13, 16 to 21, 26A to C, 30A, 31, 42 to 46, 48, 56 to 61, 95 to 114, 127 and 150 (repealed) 
			 Child Support Act 1995 (c.34 ) The whole Act except for sections 12, 13, 15, 16 and 24 (repealed) 
			 Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (c.50) except parts 4 and 5 Parts 1 to 3 and 6 to 8 except for sections 7, 9, 11, 12, 17, 18, 50, 62, 63 and 66 (repealed) 
			 Social Security (Overpayments) Act 1996 (c.51) The whole Act 
			 Social Security (Recovery of Benefits) Act 1997 (c.27) The whole Act 
			 Social Security Administration (Fraud) Act 1997 (c.47) The whole Act except sections 6, 12, 14, 17 and 18 (repealed) 
			 Social Security Act 1998 (c.14) The whole Act except for section 35 (repealed) 
			 Welfare Reform and Pensions Act 1999 (c.30) The whole Act except for sections 4, 5 and 17 (repealed) 
			 Disability Rights Commission Act 1999 (c.17) The whole Act except section 11 (repealed) 
			 Child Support, Pensions and Social Security Act 2000 (c.19) other than part 4 (contributions) Parts 1 to 3 and 5 except for sections 43 to 46 
			 Social Security Fraud Act 2001 (c.11) The whole Act 
			 State Pension Credit Act 2002 (c.16) The whole Act 
			 The Age-Related Payments Act 2004 (c.10) The whole Act 
			 Pensions Act 2004 (c.35) Except for sections 118, 153, 155 to 159, 187, 234 to 238 and 308, the other provisions are either in force or partially in force 
			 Disability Discrimination Act 2005 (c.13) except sections 5 to 9 and 15 Except for section 14, the provisions for which DWP are responsible are either in force or partially in force 
			   
			  (b) Parts of Acts for which the Department is responsible  
			 Part 2 of the Health and Social Security Act 1984 (c.48) Sections 15, 21 and 23 to 29 
			 Section 115 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 (c.33) Section 115 
			 Sections 6 and 8 of the Children (Leaving Care Act) 2000 (c.35) Sections 6 and 8 
			 Sections 48 to 50 of the Employment Act 2002 (c.22) Sections 48 to 50 
			 Sections 254 and 255 of the Civil Partnership Act 2004 (c.33 ) Sections 254 and 255 
			 Sections 43, 88 and 89 of the Equality Act 2006 (c.3) Sections 43, 88 and 89 
			  Note: References to an Act or part of an Act are to that Act or part as amended and include references to provisions which have not been repealed but are obsolete or spent.

Departmental Staff

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether any  (a) employee of his Department,  (b) person engaged by his Department as a consultant and  (c) paid adviser to his Department is a member of the House of Lords; and if he will make a statement.

Anne McGuire: This information is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	The rules on political activities that Departments are required to enforce are set out in chapter 4.4 of the Civil Service Management Code. This does not directly state that Members of the House of Lords cannot be employees of the civil service.

Departmental Staff

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many  (a) EU foreign nationals and  (b) non-EU foreign nationals have been employed in his Department in each of the last five years; what vetting procedures are in place for each category of staff; and whether these include liaison with foreign law enforcement agencies.

Anne McGuire: The statistical information requested is not recorded by the Department and therefore not available.
	All new recruits to the Department are required to provide their nationality on the application form to check eligibility for employment within the civil service. If an EU or non-EU foreign national applies for a specific post that requires vetting action over and above the standard pre appointment enquiries, either a security check or a developed vetting checks would be undertaken (depending on the nature of the individual post).

Departmental Staff

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what promotion boards have been held in his Department in each of the last five years.

Anne McGuire: This information is not available centrally and to provide it would be at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Staff

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many complaints of racial abuse in his Department have been  (a) investigated and  (b) upheld in each of the last 5 years.

Anne McGuire: The Department for Work and Pensions records complaints relating to racial discrimination and harassment that are formally investigated by the Department.
	The following table contains information about the number of complaints that were formally investigated in the years 2003-04 to 2005-06. The information is not available before 2003.
	
		
			   Number of investigations  Number upheld 
			 2005-06 19 (1)1-3 
			 2004-05 12 3 
			 2003-04 8 1 
			 (1) Cases are ongoing 
		
	
	DWP staff can find out how to complain from their line managers or from the Department's internal intranet site.
	Initial complaints are considered by line managers (or their manager if the complaint is about the line manager) to decide the appropriate course of action. A number will either be resolved without any further action or by Line Manager's enquiry where the potential for minor misconduct is identified.
	If there is a suggestion of serious or gross misconduct, the complaint is referred for formal investigation by the Human Resources Investigation Service.

Departmental Staff

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many staff in his Department have had  (a) five or more,  (b) four,  (c) three and  (d) two periods of sick leave of less than five days in each of the last three years.

Anne McGuire: The information requested is shown in the following tables.
	
		
			  Table 1: DWP staff sick under 5 days in the 12 months ended 31 March 2004 
			  Number of periods  Number of staff 
			 2 23,929 
			 3 11,800 
			 4 5,504 
			 5 or more 5,541 
			 Total 46,774 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: DWP staff sick under 5 days in the 12 months ended 31 March 2005 
			  Number of periods  Number of staff 
			 2 21,241 
			 3 10,144 
			 4 4,817 
			 5 or more 5,051 
			 Total 41,253 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 3: DWP staff sick under 5 days in the 12 months ended 31 March 2006 
			  Number of periods  Number of staff 
			 2 18,507 
			 3 8,989 
			 4 4,194 
			 5 or more 4,736 
			 Total 36,426

Departmental Staff

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many non-pensionable bonuses were awarded to members of his staff in each of the last 3 years; and what the total cost was.

Anne McGuire: The information requested is not available for 2003-04. For the last 2 years the information is in the following table:
	
		
			Total cost 
			   Number of Non-pensionable bonuses paid to staff in DWP  Cash Sum (£)  As percentage of the total pay bill 
			 2004-05 139,701 23,534,250.90 0.76 
			 2005-06 133,766 45,661,356.80 1.86

Disability Access

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether any building in his Department falls short of disability access regulations.

Anne McGuire: The Department for Work and Pensions has reviewed the duties placed upon it under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 to make reasonable adjustments to its premises to improve access to the public and for its staff.
	The Department, through its property management and services partner LandSecurities Trillium, commissioned a survey of all its occupied buildings (approximately 1,500) to identify the need for public access improvement works. The resultant programme of works commenced in 2004 and was completed in March 2005 with the exception of approximately 55 Jobcentre Plus refurbishments projects that are due for completion by July 2006.
	The existing arrangements are subject to annual review and any subsequent measures identified are scheduled through the annual buildings maintenance programmes conducted by LandSecurities Trillium.
	Access improvements for members of staff are conducted on an ongoing basis as and when the need arises or is identified upon recruitment, transfer or when an existing condition deteriorates and further measures are required.

Early Retirement

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many of his Department's employees have taken early retirement in each year since 1997.

Anne McGuire: The Department for Work and Pensions was formed in June 2001 bringing together the former Department of Social Security and the Employment Service. Information on the number of staff taking voluntary early retirement and voluntary early severance in each year since the Department's formation is shown in the table.
	Information on the number of staff taking early retirement is not available prior to the Department's formation.
	
		
			  Year ending March:  Number of staff 
			 2002 415 
			 2003 339 
			 2004 768 
			 2005 467 
			  Notes: 1. Figures are full-time equivalent (rounded). 2. The above figures include those who have retired voluntarily with an actuarially reduced pension, those who have retired with benefits under the civil service compensation scheme and those who have retired on ill-health grounds.

Equal Pay

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps are undertaken within his Department to ensure that women are obtaining equal pay to men doing work of equal value.

Anne McGuire: The Department for Work and Pensions conducts equal pay audits as a minimum every three years. The last one was completed in 2005 and a further review is planned for later this year. The review completed in 2005 did not show any significant differences in pay arrangements for men and women. Some recommendations were made about the need to understand how policies are applied in practice and we are currently working on an action plan to address these recommendations. We conduct full impact assessments for every new policy we introduce.

Grievance Procedures

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many grievance procedures have been initiated in the Department in each of the last three years.

Anne McGuire: The Department for Work and Pensions does not centrally record the number of grievance procedures initiated.

Home Working

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in his Department have been enabled to work from home in each of the last 3 years; and if he will make a statement.

Anne McGuire: DWP employees may work from home:
	 (a) Permanently, on a contractual basis; and
	 (b) On an ad-hoc basis.
	A DWP wide home working policy becomes effective from 19 June 2006, but existing employees may already apply to become a permanent home worker under their legacy terms of employment as a former employee of the DSS or one of its agencies, or the Employment Service.
	The parents of children aged under six (18 if the child is disabled) also have a statutory right to apply to become a home worker under the terms of The Flexible Working (Procedural Requirements) Regulations 2002.
	The total staffing figures for DWP for the years 2004, 2005 and 2006, and therefore the number of employees who might apply to become permanent home workers, and the specific number who have contracted as permanent home workers are as follows:
	
		
			  As at March each year:  Permanent employees  Contracted home workers 
			 2004 143,610 4 
			 2005 133,479 5 
			 2006 127,147 6 
		
	
	Managers may exercise discretion and authorise employees to work from home on an ad-hoc basis for a variety of reasons.
	Statistical data have never been collected about ad-hoc home working arrangements, which are treated the same as any other absence from the normal work place on official duties.

Incapacity Benefit

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether the decade in which the Government estimates a fall of one million claimants drawing incapacity benefits has already begun.

Anne McGuire: The Green Paper sets out our aspiration to see a million fewer claimants of incapacity benefits, over the course of a decade, through the combined efforts of the Government, employers, local authorities and health professionals. We are still at an early stage and will establish precise measures, including a baseline year, in due course.

Incapacity Benefit

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the proportion of the expected fall in incapacity benefit claimants of one million in the next decade which will be brought about by the death or retirement of current claimants.

Anne McGuire: holding answer 23 May 2006
	While it is difficult to model the precise impact of our proposed measures at this stage, the Green Paper sets out our aspiration to see a million fewer claimants of incapacity benefits over the course of a decade, through the combined efforts of the Government, employers, local authorities and health professionals. More precise measures will be established in due course.

Leased Land

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what  (a) land and  (b) property his Department (i) leases and (ii) leased in (A) 1979, (B) 1983, (C) 1987, (D) 1992 and (E) 1997 in (1) the Southend, West constituency, (2) Essex, (3) Hertfordshire and (4) the Metropolitan Police area of London.

Anne McGuire: The Department for Work and Pensions was formed in June 2001. The Department does not lease any property or land in Southend, West Constituency, Essex, Hertfordshire or the Metropolitan Police area of London. The Department's estate in these areas has been sold or transferred under a PFI partnership deal to Land Securities Trillium (LST) and in return for the payment of a unitary charge, LST is responsible for providing a full facilities management service across the estate. A list of all the estate sold or transferred to LST by Government Office Region was placed in the Library with PQ33250 on 16 February 2006,  Official Report, column 2430W.
	This response excludes The Health and Safety Executive, an Executive Non-Departmental Public Body and The Rent Service, an Executive Agency, as their records are not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	The Department is not able to provide information about land and property leased in the years 1979, 1983, 1987, 1992 and 1997 in the areas, as the information is not available in the format requested.

Pathways to Work

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what information is held on the Pathways to Work evaluation database; what data fields are used; how much of the information from the database is readily accessible to the public; and how that information may be obtained.

Jim Murphy: The Pathways to Work Evaluation database hold information on most of the end-to-end process of Pathways, including National Insurance number (encrypted), Pathways starts, benefit claims, work focused interviews (WFIs), referrals and starts to programme provision, Return to Work Credit (RTWC) awards and job entries.
	There are 179 variables (fields) on the database, a large proportion of which are derived variables that are used for calculation purposes such as classifying dates into months, creating binary flags or enabling the merging of data from different sources. The full list of variables has been placed in the Library.
	A report, summarising information produced from the database appeared as a DWP Departmental Working Paper in January 2006 entitled "Incapacity Benefit Reforms—Pathways to Work pilots Performance and Analysis (Working paper no.26)", which is in the Library. Members of the public can access that information on the Department's website at: http://www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd5/wp26.pdf

Pay Gap

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the pay gap between able bodied and disabled workers in  (a) Tamworth and  (b) the UK in each year from 1997 to 2005; and what steps his Department is taking to reduce it.

Anne McGuire: This Department has not undertaken any research into the pay gap between disabled and non-disabled workers. However, the Low Pay Commission reports that, in 2004, the pay gap for people with a work-limiting disability was 13 percentage points.
	The employment provisions of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (DDA), as amended and strengthened by this Government, place a duty on an employer not to directly discriminate against a disabled person, or to treat the disabled person less favourably for a reason related to that person's disability, unless this can be justified. The Equal Opportunities Commission's Code of Practice on Equal Pay also makes clear that it is good practice for employers to compare the pay of disabled and non-disabled people doing equal work.
	As a result of a strong economy and active labour market policies, the employment gap between disabled and non-disabled people is starting to close. The employment rate for disabled people was 38.1 per cent. in spring 1998, rising to 46.6 per cent. by spring 2005; over the same period, the employment gap fell from 35.1 per cent. to 28 per cent.
	The Prime Minister's Strategy Unit report, "Improving the Life Chances of Disabled People" set out a 20 year strategy to realise our vision of substantive equality for disabled people. This strategy is being driven by a new Office for Disability Issues, which was launched in December 2005.

Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the current employer contribution rates to the principal civil service pension scheme are; what assumed rate of return underlies those contribution rates; and what the contribution rate would be if the assumed rate of return was in line with current redemption yield on index-linked gilts.

Anne McGuire: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the then Parliamentary Secretary at the Cabinet Office, my hon. Friend the Member for East Renfrewshire (Mr. Murphy) on 29 March 2006,  Official Report, column 1030W.

Print/Broadcast Media

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on the Department's policy on the use of broadcast and print media analysis.

Anne McGuire: Departments analyse coverage in the press and broadcast media as part of their day-to-day operations. This is an important part of best practice in communications (in both public and private sectors) as it enables us to measure the impact of our communications activities and so helps us manage future activity more effectively.

Private Members' Bills

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list those private Members' Bills in respect of which his Department has adopted a policy of neutrality in each session since 2001-02; and if he will make a statement.

Anne McGuire: None.
	It is not possible to state the Department's position on private Member's Bills that did not reach Second Reading. Only one private Member's Bill has completed that stage since 2001 and the Department opposed the Bill.

Private Office Staff

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what percentage of his private office staff is  (a) male,  (b) female and  (c) disabled.

Anne McGuire: DWP Private Office consists of seven Ministers' offices, the Permanent Secretary's office, the Special Advisers office and the Parliamentary and Correspondence Teams. Of a total 73 staff in post, the percentage of Private Office staff in the Department for Work and Pensions who are recorded as  (a) male,  (b) female and  (c) disabled is as follows:
	 (a) 41 per cent. male
	 (b) 59 per cent. female
	 (c)The number of disabled staff included in the above is between 0-4. The Civil Service Code of Practice prevents diversity data being declared when small numbers are involved in order to protect the identity of individuals.
	It should be noted that departmental records of disability are solely based on voluntary declarations of disability under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995.

Registered Disabled (Mobility Aids)

Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of  (a) the number of registered disabled persons who use cycles of various kinds as mobility aids,  (b) the extent of the mobility benefits provided as a result of the use of (i) cycles and (ii) other mobility aids and  (c) the status of cycles as a mobility aid in relation to Parts 3 and 5 of the Disability Discrimination Act.

Anne McGuire: Information on the number of registered disabled persons who use cycles of various kinds as mobility aids is not available.
	There are several types of cycles on the market designed for use by disabled people. However, we have made no assessment of the extent to which they, or other forms of cycles, are used as mobility aids and information to inform such an assessment is not held centrally. The extent to which cycles benefit the mobility of disabled people when compared with other forms of mobility aids has therefore not been determined.
	Similarly, we have made no assessment of the status of cycles as a mobility aid in relation to duties under Part 3 or Part 5 of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995. Part 3 of the Act includes provisions which place duties on service providers not to discriminate against disabled people and to make reasonable adjustments for disabled people in the way that they provide their services. Since 5 December 2005, the duties in Part 3 have started to be extended in stages to more areas, including private clubs, public bodies in their carrying out of public functions, and letting of premises. An adjustment for a disabled person who required a cycle as a mobility aid would need to be considered by those with duties under the Act when deciding what may be a reasonable adjustment to make. Factors such as the cost and practicability of making an adjustment, and the resources available to the service provider, private club or landlord may be taken into account in deciding what is reasonable in any individual situation.
	Part 5 of the Act concerns accessibility regulations for all land-based public transport (trains, buses, coaches and taxis) rather than private modes of transport.

Remploy

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will ensure that job opportunities for disabled people at Remploy factories will not be reduced as a result of the current review.

Anne McGuire: The Review of Remploy, which was announced on the 16 March, is about creating more employment opportunities for disabled people. The Department commissioned PricewaterhouseCoopers to undertake a review, supported by an independent disability expert, Stephen Duckworth from Disability Matters, in order to put forward options for a strategy to enable Remploy to help more disabled people into work.

Remploy

Linda Gilroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many Remploy factories there are in  (a) Government office regions,  (b) Scotland and  (c) Wales.

Anne McGuire: holding answer 5 June 2006
	Remploy has 81 factories in the Great Britain. The requested breakdown is in the following table.
	
		
			  Remploy factories in Great Britain, by country and region 
			   Number 
			  England 59 
			 North West 14 
			 North East 8 
			 Yorkshire and Humber 9 
			 East Midlands 6 
			 East of England 3 
			 West Midlands 4 
			 South East 4 
			 South West 6 
			 London 5 
			   
			  Scotland 10 
			   
			  Wales 12

Small Change Big Difference

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department and its agencies have taken following the launch of the Government's Small Change Big Difference Campaign.

Anne McGuire: The Department for Work and Pensions has not launched any new initiatives specifically linked to the Small Change Big Difference Campaign. It has, however, a good track record over many years of working with its occupational health consultants and local partners to promote a healthy lifestyle.
	The Department of Health is leading the implementation for this initiative as part of its cross-government commitment to deliver the public health White Paper 'Choosing Health'. As the programme of work develops the Department of Health will be working across all of government to ensure the programme joins up to promote maximum impact.

Spending Review (Efficiency Targets)

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the target level of employment expressed as full-time equivalents is in his Department by April 2008, in order to meet his Department's civil service workforce reductions target set out in the 2004 Spending Review.

Anne McGuire: The target level of employment by 31 March 2008 in the Department is 101,900 full-time equivalent posts. The target is benchmarked against those activities undertaken by the Department at the start of the efficiency challenge, 1 March 2004.
	In addition, 625 full-time equivalent posts have been approved by HM Treasury to fulfil new public service commitments.

Telephone Advice Lines

Andrew Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many telephone advice lines his Department and its non-departmental public bodies support; how many telephone advisers each employs; and how much funding is provided by  (a) his Department and its non-departmental public bodies,  (b) other Government departments,  (c) the private sector and  (d) the voluntary sector.

Anne McGuire: The Department for Work and Pensions and its non-departmental public bodies (NDPB's) have a total of 28 telephone advice lines. The information that is available (from the advice lines where some relevant data are held) is included in the following table.
	Funding information is not held on a consistent basis. We do not provide any funding for helplines run by the voluntary sector. The constructing better health CLG helpline run by the Health and Safety Commission/Executive receives funding from another Government Department, Department of Trade and Industry and from the private sector. The pensions regulator raises an administration levy on pension schemes and money raised from this levy is offset against funding provided by DWP.
	The number of advisers shown in the table are full-time equivalents at March 2006 for those who spend the majority of their time answering calls.
	The Pension Service (TPS) operates its telephony service as an integrated part of its business, and does not hold separate data on the number of telephone advisers nor is it able provide specific data for telephony costs alone. Other pension service helplines are run by private companies and, under the terms of confidential commercial contracts, suppliers are not required to provide information on staffing or budgeting information.
	Debt management staff undertake both telephony and non-telephony duties, therefore separate data are not available for the number of telephone advisers or telephony budgetary information.
	
		
			  Helplines  (a) Number of advisers 
			  DWP  
			  Child support agency  
			 CSA national helpline 454 
			   
			  DCS  
			 Benefit enquiry line 70 
			 Disability living allowance/ attendance allowance 316 
			   
			  Jobcentre Plus( 1)  
			 Employer direct Not available 
			 Jobcentre plus direct—jobseeker direct 527 
			 Jobcentre plus direct—first contact 3607 
			 National benefit fraud hotline Not available 
			   
			  Non-Departmental Public Bodies (NDPB)  
			   
			  Executive NDPB  
			 Disability Rights Commission (DRC)(2) 40 
			   
			  Health and Safety Commission/Executive (HSC/E)  
			 Health and safety infoline 70 
			 Health and safety gas safety advice line  
			 Incident contact centre  
			 Workplace health connect  
			 Health and Safety Executive/Freight Transport Association advice line  
			 Constructing better health CLG  
			 Remploy Ltd. 4.5 
			 The pensions regulator 20.5 
			   
			  Other bodies funded by DWP  
			 The pensions advisory service (TPAS) 4 
			 Pension protection fund (PPF) (public corporation) 4 
			 (1 )For national benefit fraud hotline and employer direct specific data on the number of telephone advisors is not available as data collected relates to all staff employed regardless of their responsibilities. (2 )Helpline is contracted out.

Twickenham Social Security Office

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has for the disposal of Twickenham social security office at 121/125 Heath Road.

Anne McGuire: The Department for Work and Pensions has vacated 121/125 Heath Road Twickenham. It was surrendered to our Estates Service Providers, Land Securities Trillium, on 28 February 2006. The Department is not involved in any disposal plans for the building.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Charity Commission

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what expertise in the education field the Charity Commission has; and what further training he expects to be made available to Charity Commission staff before it assumes responsibility for the supervision of trust schools.

Edward Miliband: holding answer 8 May 2006
	I have been asked to reply.
	The role of the Charity Commission as the regulator of charities in England and Wales is to secure compliance with charity law, to deal with abuse and poor practice, and to enable charities to work better within an effective legal, accounting and governance framework. In its work with charitable schools the Commission is concerned with the governors' compliance with their legal obligations in exercising control and management of the school under charity law and it has substantial expertise in this area. The Commission is not competent to judge the quality and standard of education and care.

Commission on Integration and Cohesion

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects the Commission on Integration and Cohesion to report.

Meg Munn: I have been asked to reply.
	The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government expects to be in a position to make an announcement about the timetable and scope for the Commission on Integration and Cohesion before the summer recess.

Community Support Officers

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many community support officers there are in Coventry, South.

Tony McNulty: Information on the number of police community support officers (PCSOs) at basic command unit level is collected annually. At the end of June 2005 (latest available data) the M2 operational command unit which covers the Coventry, South parliamentary constituency had four police community support officers. The deployment of PCSOs within the West Midlands police area is a matter for the chief constable. Data are not collected below operational basic command unit level.

Crime Control Orders

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) drug treatment and testing orders,  (b) antisocial behaviour orders and  (c) community orders have been (i) made, (ii) breached and (iii) revoked in the last 12 months.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Information on persons given drug treatment and testing orders and other community orders and those breaching them, is published in table 4.13 of 'Sentencing Statistics, England and Wales, 2004' (Home Office Statistical Bulletin 15/05). Information relating to termination of community orders, including DTTOs, is published in table 5.1 of 'Offender Management Caseload Statistics 2004' (Home Office Statistical Bulletin 17/05).
	These publications can be found in the Library and also on the Home Office website, as follows:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs05/hosb1505.pdf
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs05/hosb1705.pdf
	For offences committed after 4 April 2005, drug treatment and testing orders are no longer available. The new community order may comprise up to 12 requirements, one of which is the drug rehabilitation requirement.
	The number of ASBOs issued at all courts in 2004, as reported to the Home Office by the Court Service, is 2,668. From 1 January 2005 to 30 September 2005 (latest available) 2,679 ASBOs have been issued. Between 1 January 2004 to 30 September 2005 notification has been received of 11 ASBOs being revoked.
	ASBO breach data are currently available from 1 June 2000 to 31 December 2003 for ASBOs issued since 1 June 2000. During this period, of the 1,892 ASBOs issued, 793 persons were convicted of breaching their ASBO on one or more occasions. Of these, 134 were for breach of ASBO alone.

Criminal Record Checks

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average cost to the Criminal Records Bureau is of processing a disclosure application.

Joan Ryan: The average unit processing cost for a disclosure for the financial year 2005-06 was £26.10. This figure includes payments to Police, the CRB's Public Private Partner, Capita, and the Agency's own costs. It does not include the Bureau's development costs. 20 per cent. of applications processed in 2005-06 were for volunteers and did not attract a fee. While the 2005-06 Standard and Enhanced Disclosure fees were respectively £29 and £34, the non-paying status of volunteers meant that the average unit income for a disclosure during the financial year 2005-06 was £26.15.

E-crime

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will estimate  (a) the extent and  (b) the cost to the UK economy of e-crime in each of the last five years.

Vernon Coaker: We do not collect figures specifically on e-crime. However, the "DTI Information Security Breaches Survey", published April 2006, found that 52 per cent. of businesses (84 per cent. of large businesses) suffered premeditated and malicious breaches in 2006, compared with 68 per cent. in 2004 and 44 per cent. in 2002. In assessing costs, the survey showed the average cost of all incidents, both criminal and non-criminal, rose from £10,000 in 2004 to £12,000 in 2006 and estimates the total cost of all incidents is of the order of £10 billion per year, up roughly 50 per cent. since 2004.
	The 2003-04 "British Crime Survey", published April 2006, showed that 27 per cent. (compared with 18 per cent. in 2002-03) of households with internet access reported their home computer had been affected by a computer virus and a third of those reported the virus had damaged their computer. 2 per cent. (in both 2002-03 and 2003-04) of households with internet access reported that someone had accessed or hacked into files on their home computer in the previous 12 months.
	APACS, the UK payments association, estimate that internet fraud using UK plastic cards amounted to £117 million in both 2005 and 2004 and that losses from online banking fraud were £23.2 million in 2005, up from £12.2 million in 2004 (figures from the APACS "Fraud: The Facts 2006" publication, February 2006).

E-crime

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average time taken to process a Criminal Records Bureau check was in the last period for which figures are available.

Joan Ryan: I refer the hon. Member for Eastbourne to my written answer of 12 June 2006,  Official Report, column 1025W.

Experience Corps

Michael Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department why the Experience Corps has issued no public briefing papers since December 2003.

Edward Miliband: holding answer 9 January 2006
	I have been asked to reply.
	The Experience Corps received grant-aid from the Home Office over three financial years until 31 March 2004. It is not a condition of Home Office grant aid that independent charities in receipt of public funding are required to issue public briefing papers.

Human Trafficking

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what arrangements will be included in the Government's Action Plan for Tackling Human Trafficking to ensure that victims of trafficking are  (a) treated as victims and  (b) not detained.

Vernon Coaker: We are currently considering the responses to the consultation paper on proposals for tackling human trafficking, many of which focus on the issue of victims and how best to respond to their needs. A summary of the consultation paper responses will be published on the 21 June.
	This is an area of concern which requires a careful response and consideration of these issues will form a central part of the National Action Plan against trafficking which will be published later this year.

Misuse of Drugs Act

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the operation of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971; if he will list the statutory instruments that have been made under this Act; and what recent representations he has received on the operation of the Act.

Vernon Coaker: The Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 provides the legal framework for the control of drugs that are considered "dangerous or otherwise harmful". Through the operation of the Act, the UK has a stable mechanism of drug control which allows the police and the criminal justice system to function effectively in respect of the enforcement of the Act. The Act also enables health professionals to have appropriate access to drugs that have proven medical use.
	A list of the Statutory Instruments made under the Act is set out as follows.
	The control of drugs gives rise to a wide variety of views and representations on the operation of the Act are regularly made across their full spectrum.
	Misuse of drugs legislation—listing the statutory instruments that have been made under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971
	Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 (ch. 38) (as amended)
	Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 (Modification) Order 1973 (SI 1973 No. 771)
	Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 (Modification) Order 1975 (SI 1975 No. 421)
	Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 (Modification) Order 1977 (SI 1977 No. 1243)
	Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 (Modification) Order 1979 (SI 1979 No. 299)
	Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 (Modification) Order 1983 (SI 1983 No. 765)
	Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 (Modification) Order 1984 (SI 1984 No. 859)
	Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 (Modification) Order 1985 (SI 1985 No. 1995)
	Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 (Modification) Order 1986 (SI 1986 No. 2230)
	Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 (Modification) Order 1989 (SI 1989 No. 1340)
	Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 (Modification) Order 1990 (SI 1990 No. 2589)
	Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 (Modification) Order 1995 (SI 1995 No. 1966)
	Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 (Modification) Order 1996 (SI 1996 No. 1300)
	Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 (Modification) Order 1998 (SI 1998 No. 750)
	Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 (Modification) Order 2001 (SI 2001 No. 3932)
	Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 (Modification) Order 2003 (SI 2003 No. 1243)
	Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 (Modification) (No. 2) Order 2003 (SI 2003 No. 3201)
	Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 (Amendment) Order 2005 (SI 2005 No. 3178)
	Misuse of Drugs Regulations 1985 (SI 1985 No. 2066)
	Misuse of Drugs (Amendment) Regulations 1986 (SI 1986 No. 2330)
	Misuse of Drugs (Amendment) Regulations 1988 (SI 1988 No. 916)
	Misuse of Drugs (Amendment) Regulations 1989 (SI 1989 No. 1460)
	Misuse of Drugs (Amendment) Regulations 1990 (SI 1990 No. 2630)
	Misuse of Drugs (Amendment) Regulations 1995 (SI 1995 No. 2048)
	Misuse of Drugs (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 1995 (SI 1995 No. 3244)
	Misuse of Drugs (Amendment) Regulations 1996 (SI 1996 No. 1597)
	Misuse of Drugs (Amendment) Regulations 1998 (SI 1998 No. 882)
	Misuse of Drugs (Amendment) Regulations 1999 (SI 1999 No. 1404)
	Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001 (SI 2001 No. 3998)—consolidated the 1985 Regulations and subsequent amendments made from 1986-99 above
	Misuse of Drugs (Amendment) Regulations 2003 (SI 2003 No. 1432)
	Misuse of Drugs (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2003 (SI 2003 No. 1653)
	Misuse of Drugs (Amendment) (No. 3) Regulations 2003 (SI 2003 No. 2429)
	Misuse of Drugs (Amendment) Regulations 2005 (SI 2005 No. 271)
	Misuse of Drugs (Amendment) (No, 2) Regulations 2005 (SI 2005 No. 1653)
	Misuse of Drugs and Misuse of Drugs (Supply to Addicts) (Amendment) Regulations 2005 (SI 2005 No. 2864)
	Misuse of Drugs (Amendment) (No. 3) Regulations 2005 (SI 2005 No. 3372)
	Misuse of Drugs (Amendment) Regulations 2006 (SI 2006 No. 986)
	Misuse of Drugs (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2006 (SI 2006 No. 1450)
	Misuse of Drugs (Designation) Order 1986 (SI 1986 No. 2331)
	Misuse of Drugs (Designation) (Variation) Order 1990 (SI 1990 No. 2631)
	Misuse of Drugs (Designation) (Variation) Order 1995 (SI 1995 No. 2047)
	Misuse of Drugs (Designation) (Variation) Order 1998 (SI 1998 No. 881)
	Misuse of Drugs (Designation) Order 2001 (SI 2001 No. 3997)—consolidated 1986-98 Designation Orders
	Misuse of Drugs (Designation) (Amendment) Order 2005 (SI 2005 No. 1652)
	Misuse of Drugs (Safe Custody) Regulations 1973 (SI 1973 No. 798)
	Misuse of Drugs (Safe Custody) (Amendment) Regulations 1974 (SI 1974 No. 1449)
	Misuse of Drugs (Safe Custody) (Amendment) Regulations 1975 (SI 1975 No. 294)
	Misuse of Drugs (Safe Custody) (Amendment) Regulations 1984 SI 1984 No. 1146)
	Misuse of Drugs (Safe Custody) (Amendment) Regulations 1985 (SI 1985 No. 2067)
	Misuse of Drugs (Safe Custody) (Amendment) Regulations 1986 (SI 1986 No. 2332)
	Misuse of Drugs (Safe Custody) (Amendment) Regulations 1999 (SI 1999 No. 1403)
	Misuse of Drugs (Notification of and Supply to Addicts) Regulations 1973 (SI 1973 No. 799)
	Misuse of Drugs (Notification of and Supply to Addicts) (Amendment) Regulations 1983 (SI 1983 No. 1909)
	Misuse of Drugs (Supply to Addicts) Regulations 1997 (SI 1997 No. 1001)—revoked the 1973 and 1983 Regulations above
	Misuse of Drugs and Misuse of Drugs (Supply to Addicts) (Amendment) Regulations 2005 (SI 2005 No. 2864)

Homicide

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many murder victims there were aged under 18 years in each year since 1990, broken down by  (a) age,  (b) sex and  (c) local authority area.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 5 June 2006
	The available information relates to under 18 victims of homicide for each year from 1990 to 2004-05, with three tables giving breakdowns by age, gender and police force area. Local authority information is not collected centrally for this measure.
	
		
			  Offences currently( 1)  recorded as homicide( 2)  for victims under 18( 3)  by age of victim 1990 to 2004-05 
			  Age under  1990  1991  1992  1993  1994  1995  1996  January 1997 to March 1998( 4) 
			 1 24 28 27 27 24 17 27 37 
			 1 13 13 6 11 9 9 7 12 
			 2 4 14 6 9 6 4 5 4 
			 3 3 3 5 3 4 3 4 6 
			 4 1 7 4 4 5 3 4 1 
			 5 7 3 2 1 3 3 6 7 
			 6 2 2 1 — 4 6 5 2 
			 7 1 5 2 2 — 10 2 4 
			 8 1 2 1 — 2 3 1 3 
			 9 — 3 2 2 3 3 2 2 
			 10 4 — 1 — 1 l 1 1 
			 11 3 2 — 1 2 1 2 — 
			 12 1 3 — 2 2 2 1 4 
			 13 1 — 1 2 1 3 4 1 
			 14 1 5 5 3 3 4 4 4 
			 15 1 3 5 2 7 8 5 3 
			 16 10 5 8 3 3 4 11 10 
			 17 8 12 6 11 14 4 10 8 
			 Total under 18 85 110 82 83 93 88 101 109 
		
	
	
		
			  Age under  1998-99  1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  Total 1990 to 2004-05 
			 1 37 31 49 17 30 31 23 429 
			 1 5 4 11 10 9 9 7 135 
			 2 9 3 4 5 7 5 6 91 
			 3 4 3 4 2 8 3 4 59 
			 4 2 1 1 3 2 1 — 39 
			 5 5 1 — 3 3 3 3 50 
			 6 — 5 4 4 3 3 3 44 
			 7 5 3 4 3 4 2 1 48 
			 8 3 3 5 3 1 — — 28 
			 9 — 2 — 1 3 — 1 24 
			 10 2 1 2 1 4 2 1 22 
			 11 1 2 2 1 1 — 2 20 
			 12 2 1 4 1 2 — — 25 
			 13 1 4 2 — — 4 4 28 
			 14 1 — 3 4 4 5 3 49 
			 15 5 1 3 6 4 8 4 65 
			 16 11 10 12 13 4 5 8 117 
			 17 15 9 13 13 14 9 8 154 
			 Total under 18 108 84 123 90 107 90 74 1,427 
			 (1).As at 28 November 2005; figures are subject to revision as cases are dealt with by the police and the courts, or as further information comes to light. Excludes cases that result in an acquittal or conviction of a lesser offence.  (2) Murder, manslaughter and infanticide.  (3) Excludes cases where age of victim is unknown.  (4) This is a 15 month period that reflects the transition from calendar year reporting to financial year reporting in April 1998. 
		
	
	
		
			  Offences currently( 1)  recorded as homicide( 2)  for victims under 18( 3)  by age of victim 1990 to 2004-05 
			  Force area  1990  1991  1992  1993  1994  1995  1996  January 1997 to March 1998( 4) 
			 Avon and Somerset — 2 1 2 1 4 3 5 
			 Bedfordshire — — — l 1 1 2 — 
			 Cambridgeshire 2 1 1 — 1 — 1 — 
			 Cheshire — 3 2 6 — 4 — 1 
			 Cleveland — 2 1 — 3 — 2 1 
			 Cumbria — 2 1 — — — — 1 
			 Derbyshire — — 2 1 1 1 3 3 
			 Devon and Cornwall 4 3 2 1 3 — 1 3 
			 Dorset 1 — 1 1 6 1 1 — 
			 Durham — 1 1 2 3 1 — 1 
			 Essex(5) 4 — — 1 3 1 3 3 
			 Gloucestershire — 4 1 3 5 — 1 1 
			 Greater Manchester 5 4 8 3 3 6 8 6 
			 Hampshire 2 3 1 1 — — 8 l 
			 Hertfordshire(5) — 1 — — — — — 1 
			 Humberside 1 2 2 2 3 3 3 3 
			 Kent 1 4 2 3 3 2 2 2 
			 Lancashire — 1 2 4 5 — 7 6 
			 Leicestershire — 3 2 1 — — 2 — 
			 Lincolnshire — 5 — — 1 — — — 
			 London, City of — — 1 — — 1 — — 
			 Merseyside 2 6 — 2 3 2 5 4 
			 Metropolitan Police(5) 20 15 9 13 11 18 15 26 
			 Norfolk 1 — 2 — 1 5 — 3 
			 North Yorkshire 1 — 1 2 1 — — 1 
			 Northamptonshire 1 1 — 1 — — 2 1 
			 Northumbria 2 3 5 2 4 1 2 3 
			 Nottinghamshire 1 9 5 2 7 — 1 2 
			 South Yorkshire 2 5 3 5 5 6 1 — 
			 Staffordshire 3 1 1 2 1 3 1 2 
			 Suffolk — — — — 1 2 1 — 
			 Surrey(5) 1 2 3 — — — — — 
			 Sussex 5 1 4 1 1 — 1 4 
			 Thames Valley 5 3 3 3 — 4 5 4 
			 Warwickshire — 1 — — 1 1 — — 
			 West Mercia 2 2 3 4 1 — — 4 
			 West Midlands 8 3 8 7 8 7 11 6 
			 West Yorkshire 6 7 1 3 5 9 3 5 
			 Wiltshire 3 — 2 2 — — 2 2 
			 Dyfed Powys 1 1 — 1 — — 2 — 
			 Gwent — 2 — 1 1 — 1 — 
			 North Wales — — — — — 1 — 1 
			 South Wales 1 7 1 — — 4 1 3 
			  85 110 82 83 93 88 101 109 
		
	
	—continued
	
		
			  Force area  1998-99  1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  Grand total 
			 Avon and Somerset — 3 1 5 2 1 — 30 
			 Bedfordshire — 3 1 5 — 1 — 15 
			 Cambridgeshire 2 1 1 1 3 — 2 16 
			 Cheshire 5 — — 1 1 3 1 27 
			 Cleveland 1 — — 2 2 1 1 16 
			 Cumbria — 1 — 3 1 3 — 12 
			 Derbyshire — 4 — 1 2 1 1 20 
			 Devon and Cornwall 3 — 8 6 2 1 4 41 
			 Dorset 1 — — — 1 — 1 14 
			 Durham — — 1 1 1 — — 12 
			 Essex(5) 4 — — 3 — 2 2 26 
			 Gloucestershire 4 — — 1 2 1 1 24 
			 Greater Manchester 7 4 8 10 3 5 6 86 
			 Hampshire 1 1 3 6 6 1 2 36 
			 Hertfordshire(5) — — 1 — — — 1 4 
			 Humberside 2 — 2 1 1 2 4 31 
			 Kent 4 2 4 4 3 — 3 39 
			 Lancashire 1 3 3 1 3 5 1 42 
			 Leicestershire 4 — 1 — 2 3 1 19 
			 Lincolnshire 4 — 3 1 2 1 — 17 
			 London, City of — — — — — — — 2 
			 Merseyside 4 2 1 1 2 2 6 42 
			 Metropolitan Police(5) 18 12 19 17 22 19 12 246 
			 Norfolk 3 1 3 — 1 1 — 21 
			 North Yorkshire — 1 — — — — 1 8 
			 Northamptonshire — 1 5 — 1 1 — 14 
			 Northumbria 4 4 3 — 3 3 — 39 
			 Nottinghamshire 2 4 1 1 4 1 3 43 
			 South Yorkshire 1 — 5 3 4 1 4 45 
			 Staffordshire 8 1 5 1 1 2 — 32 
			 Suffolk 2 2 4 — 3 5 — 20 
			 Surrey(5) — 1 3 1 3 — — 14 
			 Sussex 4 3 6 1 — 2 3 36 
			 Thames Valley 4 4 2 — 2 1 2 42 
			 Warwickshire 1 — 1 1 — — — 6 
			 West Mercia 4 3 3 — 2 2 1 31 
			 West Midlands 5 8 5 8 7 8 5 104 
			 West Yorkshire 1 3 8 3 6 6 5 71 
			 Wiltshire — 1 4 — 1 1 — 18 
			 Dyfed Powys — 1 — — 1 — — 7 
			 Gwent — — 2 1 1 1 — 10 
			 North Wales 2 1 2 — 4 1 1 13 
			 South Wales 2 9 4 — 2 2 — 36 
			  108 84 123 90 107 90 74 1,427 
			 (1) As at 28 November 2005; figures are subject to revision as cases are dealt with by the police and the courts, or as further information comes to light. Excludes cases that result in an acquittal or conviction of a lesser offence.  (2) Murder, manslaughter and infanticide.  (3) Excludes cases where age of victim is unknown.  (4) This is a 15 month period that reflects the transition from calendar year reporting to financial year reporting in April 1998.  (5) These force areas were subject to boundary changes on 1 April 2000. 
		
	
	
		
			  Offences currently( 1)  recorded as homicide( 2)  for victims under 18( 3)  by gender of victim 1990 to 2004-05 
			  Gender  1990  1991  1992  1993  1994  1995  1996  January 1997 to March 1998( 4) 
			 Male 55 52 41 44 40 50 59 65 
			 Female 30 58 41 39 53 38 42 44 
			 Total 85 110 82 83 93 88 101 109 
		
	
	
		
			  Gender  1998-99  1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  Total 1990 to 2004-05 
			 Male 66 52 73 62 48 59 45 811 
			 Female 42 32 50 28 59 31 29 616 
			 Total 108 84 123 90 107 90 74 1,427 
			 (1) As at 28 November 2005; figures are subject to revision as cases are dealt with by the police and the courts, or as further information comes to light. Excludes cases that result in an acquittal or conviction of a lesser offence.  (2) Murder, manslaughter and infanticide. (3) Excludes cases where age of victim is unknown.  (4) This is a 15 month period that reflects the transition from calendar year reporting to financial year reporting in April 1998.

Homicide

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many young people were killed unlawfully in each year since 1990; and how each person was killed.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 5 June 2006
	The available information relates to under 18 victims of homicide for each year from 1990 to 2004-05, with the tables giving a breakdown by method of killing.
	
		
			  Offences currently( 1 ) recorded as homicide( 2)  for victims under 18( 3)  by method of killing, 1990 to 2004 
			  Method of killing  1990  1991  1992  1993  1994  1995  1996  January 1997 to March 1998( 4) 
			 Sharp instrument 14 19 15 6 14 19 16 14 
			 Blunt instrument 7 2 4 2 3 1 7 8 
			 Kicking or hitting etc. without a weapon 21 23 26 18 24 17 6 8 
			 Strangulation 13 10 7 6 12 16 7 6 
			 Exhaust fumes(5) 2 9 5 2 6 6 6 — 
			 Other poisoning — 8 1 3 4 — 9 3 
			 Shooting(6) 2 4 3 3 2 — 1 4 
			 Exposure of newly born child(7) 1 3 1 — — — — — 
			 Negligence or neglect — 1 2 2 — 1 5 1 
			 Aborting — — — — — — — — 
			 Explosion — — 1 2 — — — — 
			 Drowning 1 5 7 2 6 1 2 6 
			 Causing to fall against a hard surface 6 1 4 6 2 1 1 4 
			 Burning, scalding 1 3 2 — 3 — — 2 
			 Struck by motor vehicle(8) 3 3 1 1 1 — — — 
			 Suffocation, asphyxiation or  smothering 4 8 2 17 6 5 2 10 
			 Arson 7 10 1 5 6 12 9 11 
			 Other(9) 3 1 — 6 — 7 28 26 
			 Not known — — — 2 4 2 2 6 
			 Total 85 110 82 83 93 88 101 109 
		
	
	
		
			  Method of killing  1998-89  1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  Total 
			 Sharp instrument 14 16 18 19 12 17 5 218 
			 Blunt instrument 2 5 5 4 1 — 2 53 
			 Kicking or hitting etc. without a weapon 7 4 3 7 9 3 4 180 
			 Strangulation 7 6 14 4 6 4 1 119 
			 Exhaust fumes(5) 5 6 2 — 5 — 2 56 
			 Other poisoning 7 2 5 3 6 3 3 57 
			 Shooting(6) — 2 3 8 4 3 2 41 
			 Exposure of newly born child(7) 2 2 2 — — — — 11 
			 Negligence or neglect 1 3 5 2 5 6 7 36 
			 Aborting — — — — 1 — — 1 
			 Explosion — — — — — — — 5 
			 Drowning 5 2 5 4 5 4 4 38 
			 Causing to fall against a hard surface 5 3 3 3 3 5 3 34 
			 Burning, scalding 1 — 1 — — 1 1 6 
			 Struck by motor  vehicle(8) — 1 2 3 — 4 2 12 
			 Suffocation, asphyxiation or  smothering 12 3 13 9 8 5 8 75 
			 Arson 11 3 4 6 10 7 4 77 
			 Other(9) 21 18 37 13 22 16 16 204 
			 Not known 8 8 1 5 10 12 10 64 
			 Total 108 84 123 90 107 90 74 1,427 
			 (1) As at 28 November 2005; figures are subject to revision as cases are dealt with by the police and the courts, or as further information comes to light. Excludes cases that result in an acquittal or conviction of a lesser offence.  (2) Murder, manslaughter and infanticide.  (3) Excludes cases where age is unknown.  (4) This is a 15-month period that reflects the transition from calendar year reporting to financial year reporting in April 1998.  (5) Includes all carbon monoxide poisoning, i.e. car exhausts, gas fires etc.  (6) Includes use of weapons other than firearms e.g. crossbows, catapaults.  (7) Killed by natural elements.  (8 )Excludes deaths by careless/dangerous driving and aggravated vehicle taking (which are not homicides).  (9 )Includes non-specific methods in baby battering cases i.e. shaking etc.

Passports

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the facial biometrics for use in passports in 2006 will be held on  (a) the Passport Agency Support System and  (b) any other database.

Joan Ryan: With the introduction of biometric passports the Passport Agency Support System has been amended to capture and store the facial Biometric data. This data is not being stored on any other database.

Referendums

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on his Department's policy on the charitable status of organisations that have funded  (a) politicians' offices and  (b) constitutional conventions in advance of referenda.

Edward Miliband: I have been asked to reply.
	It is for the Charity Commission, the independent regulator, in any particular case whether or not a charity is in breach of the legal rules on political activities by charities. I have asked the Commission's Chief Executive to write to the hon. Gentleman.

Security Industry Authority

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the  (a) average,  (b) shortest and  (c) longest time taken to process an application for a security worker's licence by the Security Industry Authority has been from the date of receipt of a correctly completed application to the date of dispatch of the licence; and if he will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: The SIA do not calculate average processing times. Some, such as those involving overseas criminal records checks, unavoidably take a considerable time. The SIA have a published target of processing 80 per cent. of all applications within six weeks, measured from the date that a properly completed application enters the processing system to the date that a licence is issued.
	From April 2004 until August 2005 the SIA processed 62 per cent. within six weeks and 88 per cent. within nine weeks.
	Since September 2005, there has been a backlog of applications that have been waiting to enter the system. These have added an additional time of between two and four weeks to the process, so it is now taking up to 10 weeks to process most applications.

UN Convention on Narcotic Drugs

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the Office of Fair Trade is investigating interpretation in the UK of the United Nations Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs 1961; what recent representations he has received on this issue; and if he will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: On 7 March 2006 the Office of Fair Trading published a review of undertakings given by the pharmaceutical supplier Macfarlan Smith Ltd., who supply opiate derivatives in the UK. The OFT report also recommends that the Government consider competition when licensing opiate derivatives.
	The Government are committed to responding within 90 days to OFT recommendations that cover the impact of regulation on competition. On 5 June 2006 the Minister for Trade, wrote to the Chief Executive of the OFT explaining that a full response would take a further 45 days, owing to the need for Government to perform a wider analysis of the market beyond the scope of the OFT review. As part of that process officials have had discussions with Macfarlan Smith Ltd.

UN Convention on Narcotic Drugs

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent assessment he has made of the enforcement by his Department of the United Nations Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs 1961; and if he will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: I have made no recent assessment of the enforcement by my Department of the convention itself. However, the convention establishes a framework for control which, in the United Kingdom, is implemented through the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. So any assessment of the enforcement of the convention is, in effect, an assessment of the enforcement of the Act. The Act establishes the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs to advise me on all matters relating to drug misuse. The council meets, and makes recommendations to me, regularly.